The Dark Side of the Moon: Children of the Night
by RirinKamachi
Summary: Tobie runs away from her abusive mother and finds out that staying with her gay best friend is no longer an option. She finds out about this place that can take her in, but she was never told that the place was run by Vampires...
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

I woke up at the stroke of midnight with my leg screaming in pain. I called out to my mother, but she didn't come. I know she's a light sleeper, and her room is two doors away from mine, so there can't be an excuse for her absence in my time of need.

I got out of bed and limped my way to the freezer to get some ice, pain getting increasingly unbearable with every step I took. I opened the door and water spilled onto the floor. That's when I realized my sister's stupid dog unplugged the fridge again.

"Damn it, Shigure." I sighed, repressing the urge to yell at said mutt for fear of waking anyone.

I painfully knelt down to the floor and plugged the appliance back in. Once it was in place, I heard the whirring of the mechanism starting up. Still in pain, I stood up and got out a rag and dampened it with cold water. Only when I sat down to nurse my leg did my mother finally come downstairs.

"Must you really yell for something this early in the morning?" She groaned. "Especially when you can take care of yourself..."

I shot her an irritated look. "You're kidding, right?" I replied. "Why would I yell for you in any situation other than an emergency?"

"I don't want to hear it, Tobie. It obviously wasn't that bad of a tragedy; you're taking care of whatever it is on your own. By the way, what is your problem- other than the obvious?"

I narrowed my eyes at her and chose my words carefully, not to slip in anything sarcastic that could get me beaten again. "It's a Charlie Horse."

"A Charlie Horse?" She repeated. "Hardly enough reason to wake me from my slumber."

"Oh, well excuse _me_ for having my mother be the first one to think of for help in my time of need." I blurted out.

"Your sarcasm is overwhelming." She said, approaching me.

"Yeah, I'm fluent in sarcasm you arrogant pompous bitch." I said, again unable to stop myself. But I didn't have a feeling of regret this time- I had snapped.

Now, she walked toward me and backhanded me.

"Don't you dare talk to me like that!" She hissed, leaning down to my level and pointing at me like a child. "For that, I'm having you clip the lawn with scissors again."

I sighed. _Again?_ I thought to myself. I remembered when she made me do that last week. I had added too much salt and pepper to her chicken, so she sent me out to mow the lawn, but the lawn mower was conveniently not functioning, so she tossed me a pair of long yellow scissors and wished me the best of luck.

My elderly neighbor Carol had come by and asked why I was doing this. I told her the lawnmower broke and I just felt like being weird that day. I don't think she bought it, but she left. Later, her husband Donald came over to mow the lawn for me and insisted I had earned it after I helped his wife with her gardening yesterday.

"And don't expect neighbors to help this time- they're going to a family get-together." Heather said, interrupting my flashback.

"Great! Watch me care…" I grumbled.

"You should, considering you have three more hours of sleep left."

"…It's midnight." I pointed out. "I always get up at five-"

"Well, you're starting at three." She interrupted. "Sleep well."

She then turned around and went back to bed.

I sat there on the couch, my leg still hurting, and I began sobbing. The figurative pain in my heart seemed to overwhelm the physical pain in my leg.

_Why am I still here?_ I asked myself. _ I don't deserve this! Maybe I should just… No! _I shook the thought of leaving from my head. _I need her…?_

For some reason, that last thought didn't sound right; 'I need her'? Do I? Do I really? Do I need this abuse? Do I need this treatment? Do I need to compromise who I am or who I could be for that woman?

Then, my next move was clear. I felt the winds of destiny change and tell me I need to do something more. I belong, just not here.

I wiped away my tears, took a deep breath and did a few stretches to help my leg. It started feeling better after a minute or two, so I stepped on it and straightened out. I still felt a slight twinge of pain, but it was nothing too serious.

I walked upstairs to my room, closed the door, and just stood there, thinking. I began devising a plan for escape; pack up, run away, withdraw all my savings from paid yard work from the neighbors-since Heather never paid me-, find somewhere to stay, get a job and live on my own… something like that… sounds good.

After establishing that the first step was to run away, I went to my closet and began packing clothes into my duffel bag including: socks, shorts, pants, shirts, undergarments, fishnets, my only skirt, pajamas, and tank tops. I got all my necessary clothes and realized the last things I needed were the toiletries, so I silently snuck out of my room to the bathroom. There, I got out my travel bag and packed my toothbrush, toothpaste, hair stuff, face wash, etc…. When everything was packed, I closed the bag and turned to leave when I came face-to-face with my blonde haired blue-eyed sibling.

"Where you going?" She asked, arms crossed and head tilted to one side.

"I'm granting 'mommy-dearest's' wish." I replied, sarcastically.

"Oh, you're getting her a Corvette?" She asked innocently.

"Uh, no." I raised an eyebrow. "I'm leaving."

She furrowed her brows and gave me a confused look. "You mean the wish of you never being here?"

I bit my lip and nodded.

"No!" She cried as she wrapped her arms around me. "Please don't leave!"

"Shh!" I tried to quiet the crying, hoping Heather didn't hear us.

"But I love you!" She whispered, sniffling. One would never guess that she's 14 by the way she's acting right now.

"Sondra, it's okay." I assured her. "I'm just going to stay at Stephen's house for a while. You know where it is; come visit."

She pulled away from me and wiped a tear away with her sleeve. "Can I?"

I nodded. "Uh huh. Just call ahead, okay?"

She nodded in agreement and sniffled again.

"Now, go to bed. I'll be leaving in a minute and I don't want to wake the parent."

"O-okay." She agreed as she gave me one last hug before she tiptoed off to bed. I heard a fain whisper of 'I love you' before her door closed.

After double checking my itinerary and turning off the light, I crept to my room and put everything in the duffel bag and changed clothes. I got out of my raggedy old pajamas and threw them away. I got on my jeans, black tank top, and black and silver AFI sweatshirt. After throwing on socks and my converses, I climbed out the window. I sat on the windowsill for a moment, feeling the cool summer nighttime air surround me and breathe in the crisp Ohio air. I then heard footsteps approach my door, so I hit the ground running, not looking back or worrying if I'd get caught or not.

---

I turned the corner onto Julliard Blv. and ran to 2319, my best friend Stephen Donwitty's house. It's a small one-story house with a stone walled front, two matching spiral bushes in the front garden with a statue of Buddha between them.

Looking around to make sure nobody saw me, I snuck inconspicuously against the side of the house to the back. I dropped my bag to the ground and got on my hands and knees and tapped on the basement window. Nothing happened, so I tapped a little louder and called for him. "Stephen!" I hissed in a loud whisper. "Stephen, it's me, Tobie! Open up!"

I rapped on the window faster and a little louder until a light finally came on. I saw him standing by the light switch, his black hair slightly messy, his tanned skin glistening in a thin layer of sweat, wearing the boxers I got him for his birthday- I didn't actually think he'd wear them… ever… Then, I saw him walk up to me, stand on the couch and open the window.

"Tobie?" He grumbled, rubbing one of his eyes. "What the hell is going on?"

"Let me in and I'll explain." I suggested. As I said that, I felt tears form as the truth of tonight's incidents finally hit me.

"Oh, Christ, come on in." He demanded as he latched the window open and grabbed my bag for me. I crawled through the window and plopped myself into the couch and began crying. I had my face in my hands, but I felt my best friend sit next to me.

"It's alright hon. Let it all out. I'm here." He said, patting my back.

"I'm sorry." I apologized, wiping my face dry. I looked up at him and sniffled. "I've had enough of her crap…" I trailed off as something caught my eye.

On the bed opposite the couch was someone in his bed, sitting up and looking at us, mirroring my confusion. Stephen followed my gaze and saw where my eyes landed.

"This is Kayle." He introduced us. "He's… um…"

"Oh, yeah." I said as the pieces fell into place. I looked back at Kayle and smiled. "It's nice to meet you.

"Nice to meet you as well." He said before he cleared his throat. "You must be the famous Tobie I've heard so much about."

"Yeah." I nodded, blushing; I tend to do that when I find out people talk about me. "Oh, I'm sorry if I interrupted anything…" I apologized, looking back at Stephen.

"You kinda did," he replied hesitantly, "but it's okay; you obviously need someone to talk to. I'm here."

I nodded and my eyes rested on the corner of his room. Then, something else caught my eye: a long leather strap and two pairs of silver handcuffs. I obviously _did _interrupt something.

"What did she do?" Stephen asked, knowing my issue had something to do with Heather.

I took a deep breath and gathered my thoughts, not knowing where to begin.

"Let me guess, all her abuse has just built up and you can't take it anymore?"

He knows me so well. "That's exactly it." I replied with a faint laugh. "I had to get out, and I didn't know where else to go."

Stephen hugged me close. "Well, you came to the right place, just the wrong time." He was about to say something more, but was cut off by the booming voice of Officer Donwitty; Stephen's dad.

"What's with all the noise?!" He yelled as he opened the bedroom door. The built, balding man stormed in and froze at the sight of me sitting on the couch, eyes puffy from crying. "Tobie, oh I'm sorry. I thought Stephen… never mind. Are you okay?"

"Oh, um, I'm just having trouble with Hea- uh, Mom."

He sighed and crossed his arms. "Figured as much. You know, I'm surprised you endured her as much as you have." He said with a laugh. "I can't take that woman for more than a minute at a time. Ha ha…"

I just smiled and nodded. "I guess I'm a trooper."

His booming laughter echoed throughout the basement. "You got that right. Well, I'll just leave you to your… healing… I'll see you later." He waved goodbye as he shut the door behind him.

I looked to Stephen and his face was pale. I suppose he was worried his dad would've stepped forward and saw his male lover on the other side of the wall and thrown a fit.

"Anyways, can I crash here?" I asked, expecting I could take the couch in the upstairs living room and leave the two with their privacy.

"Sure, I'll go get you a pillow." He said, getting up and leaving the room. Before he disappeared behind the door, he gave me a reassuring smile.

When Kayle and I were left alone, it felt awkward. I just looked over to him and smiled, trying to be polite. I saw that he wasn't much bigger than Stephen, but he was paler and had blonde hair and dark emerald eyes.

Just then, the door opened and I looked up, but instead of my best friend, I saw his dad walking toward me with a pillow and a folded blanket.

"I assume you want to stay the night?" He asked, handing me the bundle. I felt panic take over my body and tried to get up to him before he saw his son's gay lover, but I was too late. He turned the corner and saw the boy.

He was silent for a moment, but I saw his face turn from shades of red to blue to purple before he screamed.

"STEPHEN ANDREW DONWITTY!"

---

"I'm so sorry." Stephen apologized to both of us as he shut the door, saving us from the wrath that was his father. I haven't seen him this angry, even when he found us at a club we had snuck into. I'm sure he'd take that angry dad over this one.

Kayle and I were standing on the corner with our stuff, dumbfounded. I turned to him and offered to walk him home, since there's some boys around here that are notorious for gay-bashing.

"Thank you, I'd appreciate it." He said as we walked off to his place.

He told me about how he and Stephen had met and about how he doesn't shut up about me. I laughed and told him how Stephen and I grew up together behind Heather's back, seeing as how she doesn't allow me to have a social life.

"That's rough." He pointed out, nodding.

"Yeah, but I think it's time for me to leave that whore." I said. "I just need to find somewhere to go."

"Do you have money?" He asked, eyeing my baggage.

"A little." I replied. "Just enough to pay for one month of rent and the down payment of an apartment and nothing else."

He squinted at me and seemed to be thinking for a bit. "The motel down the road-"

"Is run by my mother." I interrupted. "Yeah, I won't get very far.

There was an awkward silence for a moment, but we had arrived at his destination. He turned to me and thanked me for the company. I was about to leave, but he had something more to say.

"Listen, Tobie, I think I know of a place that can take you in."

"You think there's a place?"

He nodded. "Well, I know someone who went there. But she left and visited me once, but never returned again, but the one time I did see her, she was… different."

"Different?"

He nodded again. "Yes, but different in a good way. She was… happy, so it's not a bad place… how do I put this?" He paused and looked for the right word. "It's a... a 'coven' I think she said."

"Coven?"

"Yeah. I hear it's a fantastic place and they could probably take you in if you want. The only drawback is that you can't see your family again."

I considered this for a moment, then decided to go for it. I know I'd never see Sondra again, but I know Heather will treat her well; she always had, it was just me that got the bitch end of the stick.

"Where is this place?"

Kayle gave me directions and I bolted after thanking him properly. I followed the instructions perfectly, but when I got to where I was supposed to be, there was nothing. It was pitch dark out and I couldn't see anything, and it didn't help that the flashlight I had burnt out.

I fell to my knees and began to cry right there. I have the worst luck ever; I'm born into a family where the only two people who like me dies, and everyone else, except my sister, hates me. Then, when I finally take charge of myself, I go to a place where I know I'm welcome, but get kicked out because of my friend's sodomy. And to top it all off, I get lost in the pitch-black woods with no source of light.

Out of frustration, I slapped the ground, but there was a rock and I sliced my palm open.

"Damn it!" I yelled from behind my tears. I cradled my hand to my chest and sobbed some more. I didn't know what else to do, so I just sat there and prayed to a God I knew didn't exist.

"Help me." I cried quietly to myself. "I didn't do anything to deserve this. Please help me find a way to be independent. Please!" I sobbed harder, and thought about suicide.

But, the scenery changed. The dark clouds in the sky dissipated a little and the moonlight shined so bright, I could see for miles if it wasn't for the trees. However, the object of interest was only a few yards away. In the clearing of the woods, I saw a large Victorian house with a wraparound porch. In this light, it looked pure white with a dark blue roof and matching blue trim.

I got up from the ground and walked toward the building, luggage in the uninjured hand. As I got closer, the house seemed to get bigger and more eerie, yet at the same time, welcoming. I climbed the stairs to the porch and approached the front door. I had noticed that the windows were blocked off; I couldn't see in, but I had a feeling someone was home, so I knocked. But, there was no answer, so I knocked again. I heard the noise I made echo throughout the massive building, but nobody came. Feeling exhausted, I grabbed a small blanket I had packed and sat down, back against the house and waited for someone to arrive, while wrapping up my bleeding hand.

---

I had been sitting on the porch for a few hours; I hadn't fallen asleep, but I was in a state of deep meditation, giving me the physical benefits of sleep. I was brought back by the sounds of whispers. I opened my eyes and saw two tall, skinny, good-looking men with long silver hair standing at the bottom steps of the porch. They wore long matching robe/dress-like outfits typically seen in India.

"Yuki," the one on the left spoke, "there seems to be a visitor."

"I believe you are correct, brother." The other one replied. Under closer inspection I saw that they were twins.

"I'm sorry." I apologized. "I didn't mean to trespass. Please don't call the police, I'll just go. I don't want any trouble." I grabbed my belongings and was about to leave when one of them stopped me.

"It's actually quite alright." Yuki said, blocking my way out. "You can stay, but we'd feel much better if you stayed inside, come dear."

They approached me and escorted me back to the house and let me in. The inside didn't match the outside at all; there was an extravagant chandelier in the middle of the ceiling hovering over the end of the long staircase. The walls had deep red wallpaper with a golden ivy-like design and the carpet on the stairs was the same shade of red and looked like crushed velvet.

"Leave your bag here, dear." Yuki said. "Wallace will take care of it."

I put my bag down and followed Yuki to another room, which I assumed was the dining room. There was a long table with enough seats to occupy 14 people.

Yuki sat me down in a chair next to him and smiled at me. In this light I saw that he had a purple streak in his hair, and he was extremely beautiful and his pale green eyes were so kind and assuring. I could tell he was here to help, and that I've come to the right place.

"Now dear, what is your name?" He asked.

"Oh, um, my names Tobie." I informed him. "Tobie DeSylva."

He scrunched up his face like he just smelled something mildly disgusting. "Tobie? Isn't that a _boy's_ name?"

"Actually, that's not my birth name." I defended. "It's actually Jezebelle, but I'm not girlie. I hang with boys, and they gave me a more suiting name."

"Oh but honey, that name doesn't suit you at all!" He gasped.

"Excuse me?"

"I think your birth name is perfect."

"But… it's so… so _girlie_…"

"No, I can tell it's perfectly you. I look at you, see past the… the baggy sweatshirt and make-upless face, and see the beautiful woman behind your deep, dark violet eyes."

I raised an eyebrow at his absurdity. But, I didn't want to offend him- not when I might have to depend on him for shelter and food etcetera. "Um… thank you. Nobody's ever really complemented my… femininity."

"Well they should more often." He said, nodding to himself. "Anyways, I assume you're here because you…" he hesitated for a moment with his eyes closed before he continued, "…you've had enough of certain family members and you need to be yourself and not somebody's maid, am I right?"

His accuracy stunned me for a moment. "Uh… yeah, that's pretty much it."

"Well, why don't we just take you to your quarters." He suggested, standing up. "It just so happens we have a free room."

"Wow… lucky me." I replied, following him to the stairs. "But wait…" He turned to me still grinning. "What about the rules? Do I pay rent? How about-"

"Come dear," He interrupted, "we can talk about it some other time. Don't worry your pretty little existence, we'll take care of you."

_Don't worry your pretty little existence? _I asked myself. _ I never heard that before._

We continued out of the dining room and went up the stairs to the second floor. I was amazed at the amount of doors this hallway had. Ahead of us were four doors on each side, and I looked behind me to see two more sets behind the staircase's railing.

We continued down the hallway and he stopped and turned to me in front of the last door on the right.

"This is your room here." He opened the door and waved his arm in a wide motion, ushering me inside. "If you'd like, we're having dinner downstairs in half an hour and we'd love for you to join."

I gave him a confused look. "Dinner? It's almost three in the morning!"

He nodded. "I know, it's a little late, but everyone's still on their way back from their… jobs." He hesitated on the last word, but he still had a sweet, welcoming expression on his face.

"Okay then," I replied, "half an hour you said?"

"Yes, oh, and if you could wear the dress we put in your closet, that would be fabulous."

"Dress?" I asked, slightly worried. I don't wear dresses. Ever.

"Yes," he replied, "we always get dressed up for dinner. It's just the way we run things."

I nodded in agreement. I don't want to be too nit picky. After all, they are saving me from starvation. The least I can do is suck it up.

"Now, get yourself comfortable." He said, turning to leave. "See you at dinner."

At that, he left me to get acquainted with my new room. I wandered over to the closet that was to hold the dress. I opened the doors and saw all my clothes hung up. I guess they decided to unpack my baggage…

Then, at the end of the hanger rod, there was a garment bag, so I took it out, assuming that was the garment in question. I unzipped said bag and saw that it was a black, spaghetti strap, T-length dress with a bright purple sash.

I took it off the hanger and tried it on; it fit perfectly. Even so, I was uncomfortable since I never wear skirts or dresses. The last time I wore a dress was at my father's funeral when Heather was eight months pregnant with Sondra.

I finally checked the full-body mirror in the door and thought I looked sexy, which made me even more uncomfortable, yet at the same time, I felt… _pretty_.

I then rummaged through my bag and found the necklace my father had left me before he died. It's a little cerulean teardrop with a sapphire gem near the top on a silver chain. Sapphire is my birthstone, which my father and I share. I was born September 17th, the day after his 22nd birthday. I took off my watch because I was pretty sure it would 'clash' with the dress, but I kept on my chrome bone bracelet, since I can't take it off.

While I was accessorizing, I came to a realization. I could tell this dress was tailor-made; it fit me perfectly. I've never seen these people before, so how did they have my measurements?

I felt a chill go down my spine, so I sat on the huge queen size four-poster bed. The red satin sheets were so smooth, and it frightened me a little. It reminded me of the vampire brothel from the Tales From the Crypt Movie. But, I let that bad feeling go a little, making me a little bit more comfortable; comfortable enough to lie down and rest my eyes until mealtime.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I hadn't been in a more awkward situation in my whole life. I was sitting in one of the chairs on the right side of the table near the end. Sitting at each end of the dining table was Yuki and Yuura; I was next to the latter. I felt comfortable around Yuki, since he seemed so kind and warm, but Yuura, well… he barely spoke, but was staring at me a lot with a cold expression, making me uneasy. We made eye contact once, and I saw no kindness in his pale green eyes, and I promised myself I wouldn't look at him directly ever again.

Instead, I fixated my attention to the food on the table. There were no salads, veggies, toppings, or anything. All there was were steaks and other various meats. The meats steaming from the heat, but sitting in their own juice, and when I say juice, I think I really mean blood. I didn't want to be rude, but I couldn't find a way of getting out of eating something so… so nasty. Just the smell of it made my stomach turn a little.

Finally, people began showing up. Among the first to arrive were three very gorgeous women, two of them seemed to be twins, and another very attractive man. As they came to take their places, I saw they all had a puzzled look; at least, all of them except one. The one woman who didn't seem to notice me sat at the third seat from the end. She was tall and had long straight brown hair. Her eyes were hazel like my mother's, but not as harsh.

Shortly after the four arrivals came, six more entered the mansion. Three men and three women, and I couldn't help but notice these people were uncommonly gorgeous. When everyone filed in, I saw a shorter girl about my age with short black hair trailed closely behind a very tall, voluptuous woman with long, wavy, blonde hair and blue eyes. The shorter one seemed timid and shy whereas the other one seemed very… well, I could tell by the way she held herself that she was very comfortable in her skin.

As everyone else was seated, I watched them all carefully, returning stares they were giving me. Even though I felt confident in my ability to make myself not look frightened, I still felt intimidated.

We all sat at our seats, but two were still empty, so I assumed we were still waiting for the rest. Even so, one would think everyone would have something, anything better to do than just stare at me. The only ones not doing so were Yuura, Yuki, and the woman next to him.

Suddenly, the front door opened and a young man, who couldn't be more than 17 or 18, ran in. He looked asian, or at least had asian ancestry, and his jet black hair was spiky; no two strands pointed the same way. He had on dark blue jeans, a button down shirt, and a leather jacket.

"Sorry I'm late." He announced, short on breath, walking into the room, but he froze in the doorway, staring at me. Of course...

"And where is Alexander?" Yuki asked with an inquisitive look on his face. The boy continued to stare at me, not answering Yuki's question. "Jayden, It's not polite to stare at our guests, now tell me, where is Alexander?" He repeated; panic beginning to come to him.

The guy, Jayden, took his eyes off me long enough to deliver stunning news. "He won't make it for dinner." He said, clearing his throat in his fist. "He won't…_ever_."

Many engaged in surprised chatter, one of the women gasped, but Yuki seemed the most surprised of all.

"So be it," Yuura interrupted, pointing to the seat next to me, "sit down."

The boy obeyed, but I just stared at my empty plate, trying to avoid eye contact. In my peripheral vision I saw he wasn't staring at me, but I could tell he was curious and fought the urge to look.

Yuura stood up and began to speak in a wary, slightly shaky voice. "Everyone, as you have probably noticed, we have a guest tonight. She ran away from home, found her way here, and she'll be staying with us for tonight… or possibly a little while longer. I want you all to welcome her whole-heartedly." Nobody moved, they just continued listening to him speak. I'm glad nobody's attention was on me; I was starting to feel uneasy. "And now," Yuki continued, "why don't we all say hello to miss… Tobie was it?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at me. I nodded in confirmation.

"Tobie?" Jayden laughed faintly. "That's not a girl's name."

"Jayden, don't be rude." Yuki said.

"Well, no, it's not." I agreed. "My birth name is Jezebelle, but it sounds too girly, so everyone just calls me Tobie."

Yuki called the rest of the group to attention. "Now, shall we begin our dinner?"

At that, everyone filled their plates with the meat. I was about to suck it up and go for one of the steaks when suddenly, a man in a tuxedo came in and put a filled plate in front of me. I looked at it and I had just realized how hungry I was just smelling the chicken alfredo; my favorite meal. The butler then filled everyone's glasses with wine while I just got water. Fine with me I guess, since wine tastes like ass, but I found it odd that they didn't even bother to offer it.

What made it even weirder; the wine didn't look like wine. Wine is transparent whereas this was… thick. Maybe they were Bloody Maries or something, but drinking them from wine glasses? Something's up, and I don't feel safe at all…

----

I had finished the food and was starting to get really sleepy, since nothing exciting went on. There wasn't any conversation between anyone and I felt really out of place.

"Are you okay, _Tobie_?" Jayden asked, emphasizing my name.

I bit my lip out of frustration. "Oh, I'm fine." I replied trying to be polite. "I didn't get much sleep, so I'm just a little tired."

"Jayden," Yuura said with a deep, quiet voice, "why don't you escort our guest to her quarters?"

"But Sir-"

"Do it." He interrupted before Jayden could complain and give me reason to kick his butt.

Jayden threw his napkin onto his empty plate and got out of his chair. "C'mon." He demanded, shoving his hands in his pockets.

I got up and bowed to everyone still seated before I left their presence. "Thank you for the dinner." I quickly turned around and followed the boy.

We were silent as we walked, and when we got to my room, he opened the door for me, but shut it in my face before I could thank him.

What crawled up his ass? I wondered to myself. I can't have ever done anything to him; I've never seen him before in my life.

Giving up on logic and reasoning for him, I stretched my arms and got my pajamas out of the dresser. I took off the dress and returned it to the closet and put on my purple plaid pajama pants and black tank top. Since I was kind of afraid to leave the room to find the bathroom, I had to skip brushing. But since I didn't want my mouth to be a germ farm, I got out my mouthwash, cleaned my teeth and swallowed, since I couldn't find anywhere to spit.

"Ack!" I started coughing a little from the taste.

After getting over it, I got into the huge queen size bed and pulled the warm red satin sheets over my body and drifted off to sleep.

~*~*~

I was in a really dark tunnel with a red light at the end. Something inside me told me to follow it.

"But, the light at the end of the tunnel… logic states I should avoid it."

"No, you shouldn't." I heard Jayden's voice behind me, so I spun around and saw him.

"Jayden …"I whispered.

He nodded and pulled me close to him, gently caressing my shoulder, sliding my top's strap off.

"Just a taste…" He said, nibbling on the base of my neck.

Suddenly, I found myself chained to a wall. Looking around, I saw skeletons everywhere and I screamed when they started grabbing at me. Jayden then grabbed me and bit into my neck with huge fangs protruding from his mouth.

I quickly sat up in bed breathing heavily with my face covered in a thin layer of sweat. I quickly grabbed my neck to make sure that was just a bad dream. I looked around and saw my room was dark and figured it was still late. Then, I remembered that all the windows in the building were covered, so I approached the window and slid the curtain back. It looked like the sun was rising, but the lighting was different somehow. I quickly ran to the nightstand and took a look at my watch, which read 5:45 PM.

The sun isn't rising; it's setting! I really need to get going… but where? Then, I had a flashback to last night.

"…She found her way here, so she'll be staying with us for tonight, or possibly a little while longer."

What did Yuki mean by that? Maybe, since I'm a runaway, he'll let me stay here. Maybe I can earn my keep somehow, but he doesn't even know me, so why would he be like this to some runaway that he just met? For all he knows I could be a thief and steal everything of worth and bolt. That or I actually did find the place Kayle had told me about.

Just then, I realized I had to go to the bathroom, so I decided to try to find the facilities. I opened my door to find the hallway totally dark except for some candles lit on the walls between every other door. I stepped out, shut the door behind me and quietly found my way down the hall.

I passed all the doors, figuring none of them were the bathroom, so I proceeded downstairs and made it without making a single sound… until the last step, which I missed, and fell flat on my face.

"God damn it…" I said very quietly.

"A lady shouldn't swear." A deep voice resounded, startling me.

I looked up and saw the man from last night wearing the tuxedo. "Oh, I'm so sorry."

He shook his head at me. "Don't be sorry Madame. You should hear the words that come out of the young masters' mouths."

I gave a sarcastic laugh. "Right…"

He smiled at me and turned away, but I stopped him. "Oh, sir? Since you're up, could you possibly show me where the bathroom is?"

"Yes, follow me" He said, turning around.

I followed him through a big doorway, through a living room with a large flat-screened television, and into the bathroom whose doors were massive and white with gold accents.

"Thank you, Mr. Wallace." I said before proceeding into the bathroom.

I finished using the restroom and looked around and found this place to be bigger than the dining hall. The bathtub, no pool, could easily fit five people in it. "Wow that would be great for a sexy party." I said to myself, walking out the doorway.

"What would be, Madame?" Wallace asked, standing where he was before, never moving.

"Oh, um, the bathtub… is so huge, I mean five people could… you know… in there…"

He smiled and nodded. "I know," He responded, "and they do."

A chill went down my spine; I left the bathroom and followed him to the stairs.

"Enjoy the rest of your sleep, Madame."

I spun around in surprise. "Wait, what do you mean 'the rest of my sleep'? It's like, six in the afternoon!"

He, again, nodded. "Quite right Madame, quite right."

I smiled and thanked him for showing me the beautiful bathroom. To go back to my quarters, but when I turned, all I saw was a black wall. I turned back around in confusion and was struck blind; I knew my eyes were open, but all I could see was blackness. I began feeling dizzy and light headed, and I passed out from the overwhelming feeling of emptiness.

---

My head was hurting and I felt groggy when I finally came to. I opened my eyes, but my vision was blurred, but from what I could tell, there were a lot of candles and I saw some dark hooded figures and heard what sounded like Latin being spoken; the only word I caught was 'Mort', which means death...

When my vision was finally clear enough to see what was happening, I realized I was right about the candles and saw all the people from dinner were the dark figures. I then realized I was tied to a chair; mouth covered with a cloth, and on the ground was a large black pentagram with me sitting in the middle. I began panicking and tried to scream, but my voice was muffled by the gag.

"Good morning, Jezebelle." I tried saying Tobie to correct him, but I couldn't.

_Great, I found myself in some weird cult._ I thought to myself.

"Now, we can begin. Gwendolyn, please take off the mouth piece." Judging by the sound of the person's voice, I recognized him immediately as Yuura.

I heard someone step forward from behind me and she forced my head downward, grabbing my hair. She bent forward and took a knife to the side of my face, cutting the cloth and let it drop in my lap. She then stepped back to her original spot and stood still, eyes locked forward.

"Since we lost a dear member so recently, it may seem a little sudden to replace him tonight." At that, everyone bowed their heads. "However, I feel this one may be useful to us. And now, would the partner of the late Alexander step forward please."

A guy in a deep green cloak came forward and as he came closer, I saw that it was Jayden.

"Untie her, please." Yuura ordered.

Jayden did as he was told and stood me up. Yuura pointed to someone else who then approached me and grabbed the hand that was bandaged. He untied it, exposing the cut I received from hitting a rock yesterday morning.

"Proceed." Yuura ordered.

I quickly looked at the person who had my hand and saw it was Yuki. He then took a knife and irritated the wound, making it bleed profusely again. I tried to scream, but for some reason my vocals wouldn't obey. However, on the inside I was cringing, looking for a release. I then noticed the knife was gone, but was replaced by Yuki's mouth. He licked the wound, and then bit into it. I then found myself and screamed. I felt him draining me of my blood, and I was getting weaker by the second. I suppose my screaming was too much for everyone because Jayden covered my mouth.

"It'll all be over soon." He whispered in my ear. His voice was soothing, but I was afraid of what he meant by 'over'.

When he was finished, Yuki had Jayden release me from the grip. Through the tears, I saw that blood red frightening eyes replaced Yuki's kind green ones. By now, my body and mind couldn't take it anymore and I blacked out once again.

---

When I finally came to again, I was back in my bed. _That couldn't seriously have been a dream_ I thought to myself,_ it was way too real… _

I checked my watch and saw that it was 9:00 PM Mon. "Whoa, Monday?!" I couldn't believe I slept all through the weekend.

Then, someone came in through my door. I could only see the outline of a person, but the voice gave me an idea of who it might be.

"You're up early." It was Jayden. "When I went through that, I was out for eight days straight." He walked into my room and stood next to my bed.

I looked at him and was thoroughly confused. "Went through what?"

"You don't remember?" He asked. "The ritual of renewal?"

I looked at the palm of hand and saw wound. For some strange reason, I had the sudden urge to lick the dried blood, but instead looked up at Jayden. "That wasn't just some horrible dream?"

He gave a faint laugh. "No, no dream."

I stared at him for a moment, then asked the question I'm sure I knew the answer to, but wanted to make sure. "What kind of ritual was that? Renewal? What does that mean?"

"It means you are no longer who you used to be. You are no longer 'Tobie DeSylva': Human. You are now 'Jezebelle': Vampire."

I stared at him, not believing the last word he said.

"Wait, did you just say 'vampires'?" I laughed. "Vampires don't exist."

"Oh, really?" He asked, eying me intently. "You think I'm joking?" He sat himself on the edge of my bed and put his hand on mine. "The transformation you went through never happened? That cut on your hand isn't real?" He brought his face closer to mine. "Or your desire to lick the blood from the wound? None of that is real?"

I felt my face turn pale; he had a point, but I just couldn't wrap my mind around it. "B-but that slice on my hand was already there. I did that when I fell in the woods."

"Yes, but it got bigger." He pointed out. "The two holes weren't there before, were they?"

I looked at the unprotected wound and, sure enough, there were the bite marks I received from Yuki.

He then stood up. "Get dressed; we're going out for your first hunt. Put on something… something dark." He ordered, turning to go, but I stopped him.

"Wait!" I demanded. "What do you mean by 'hunt'?


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

There I was, standing at the top of the stairs wearing the 'darkest' thing I had. It was a tight black tank top with a purple butterfly that wrapped around my side, my only skirt (mini black pinstriped skirt with two chains on the left side), fishnets and my knee-high boots. I had noticed the women wearing stuff like this at dinner the other day, yet I still felt like an idiot for some reason.

I finally took a deep breath and descended down the staircase. There, I saw Wallace, Yuki, and Jayden chatting. They looked up at me when I made it out of the darkness and into the light of the bright chandelier.

"You look fantastic, my dear!" Yuki cried, clapping his hands together and admired me in an adoring way.

I turned to Jayden. "This is the 'darkest' outfit I could come up with."

"No, it's perfect." Yuki assured me, stepping forward and spinning me around, getting a full view of my outfit. "Are you sure you feel 100% better?"

I thought about my answer for a moment. It was true nothing hurt anymore, but I actually felt better than I ever did. Maybe it was just the fact I don't have to deal with my mother and her anger issues. "Actually, not 100%"

Yuki looked at me with a disappointed expression. "You're not better?"

I smiled at him. "No, I am. Better than ever. I'm _150%_ better." I assured him, trying to make him feel better.

He clapped his hands. "Fabulous!" He squealed. I had a sudden urge to ask him if he was gay, but decided it was an inappropriate question to ask at this time.

He then turned to the silent Jayden. "Jayden, could you go upstairs and get the…"

He must've understood what he meant, because he ran up the stairs, past a woman who was coming down.

"Watch it." The woman hissed, but he ignored her and continued.

The girl had long, straight brown hair, a brown leather jacket that came down to her knees, a black mini-skirt, and a white tank top. She turned her attention to the doorway and saw me standing there.

"Oh, you got out of it quick." She pointed out. "And you look great, too."

"But she needs makeup." Yuki pointed out. "Why don't you take care of that, Teagan?"

"Sure, no problem." She smiled at the both of us. "Come with me." She turned and walked off and I followed her.

"By the way, welcome to the brotherhood, Jezebelle." She greeted as we approached the bathroom.

"Um, actually, my names Tobie." I corrected.

"I'm sure you're frightened now, but you'll find that this is the safest place you could hope to be and you'll grow to like it." She said, ignoring me.

We finally got into the restroom where there were three people in the tub having a 'good time'. The only woman in there came out from between the two guys to see what was going on. She had long, wavy blonde hair, auburn eyes and huge... um... well, she was stacked.

"Wow, they were right; she is a quick healer." She said as I was seated on the closed toilet.

"I know, right?" Teagan replied, taking off her jacket so she could move her arms more freely. She then got a make-up kit ready.

As she did this, the woman in the tub began giggling. I looked over and saw a sight I wish I hadn't seen. She was sandwiched between the other two men, both of them kissing her. She threw her head back and sighed. I shivered and turned away and tried blotting out the sound… and the image that had just materialized in my mind.

"Whatever you do, don't blink." Teagan said, applying eye makeup onto my face. Since I was looking right at her for this, I saw she had a kind of cute little baby-doll face. She had glitter on the corners of her eyes and on her high cheek bones. Her eyes were a very bold, bright green and her teeth were perfect. She had a very clean complexion and she smelled of a mixture of lilac and melon. It was a very pleasant scent, just kind of odd.

When she finished torturing my eyes, she fixed my hair, leaving me to stare at her boobs the entire time. All I could hear was moaning and giggling coming from the Jacuzzi. At this point, I would rather stare at this girl's cleavage than witness whatever was going on over there. After a few minutes, she stepped away.

"What do you think, Genevieve?" She asked, looking for an opinion on her work.

"It looks like the hairstyle that one actress wore on the red carpet for the people's choice awards." She pointed out, giving me a big smile. "I guess that sort of thing would be easy for _you_. Hey, one at a time boys, I can only stretch so far."

At that, I ran out quicker than anyone would have believed along with the 'make-up artist'. I saw her look at me and we shared a silent giggle. I guess she too isn't used to that.

"By the way, thank you for fixing me up, Teagan." I said.

"No problem." She replied, giggling. "By the way, I'm sorry you had to endure Genevieve and her little… you know. I tried to be as quick as I could."

I gave a nervous laugh. "Thanks for that, by the way."

We then entered the entrance hallway where I saw Jayden had returned, and there was another Teagan…

"Nice job." Jayden complimented, a grin upon his face.

"Hn..." She grunted, then looked at me and smiled. "See you later, Jezebelle, have fun tonight. C'mon Jasmine."

She put her jacket back on and exited the building along her look-a-like.

"Another set of twins?" I questioned.

"Yes," Yuki answered, "they're Teagan and Jasmine. Those girls are amazing. I'm very proud of them."

"Do you think she's ready?" Jayden asked, a hint of worry in his voice.

Yuura continued to look at me while he spoke. "She's ready. Remember, she's training right now, so take it easy with her."

Jayden was inconspicuously handed a small black box that he put in his pocket. Then he took my wrist and pulled me outside where we began our journey. I looked at the moon, which wasn't full anymore, but it was gorgeous. I suddenly felt him let go of my hand and push me against a tree. He didn't so much 'push' as he set me there to give a quick lecture

"Okay, now you're a vampire, so, you need to know the rules." He said in a slightly angry tone.

I nodded nervously, fearing what he might do.

"One: I need to make it very clear to you that you are no longer 'Tobie'. Tobie died and Jezebelle now rules you."

I nodded, even though I didn't like that fact.

"Two: no matter what, if anyone recognizes you, you are to insist that you're not who they think you are."

I nodded again, still unhappy with the rules so far; I was really aching to see Stephen right now. Maybe I should find somewhere else to go. This place officially began to suck. But, I decided to give it a chance. But on one condition: if I have to give up my clothes, I'm gone.

"Three: I don't know what fairytales you were told as a kid, but crap like holy water or wooden stakes through the heart don't work, and the sun won't turn us to dust."

"Okay..." I, again, nodded.

"Silver bullets, however, those are what you need to be careful about."

"Got it." I nodded once again.

"And, one more rule," He said, grabbing my hand and pulling me away from the tree, walking me down the driveway, "You're first kill has to be the one who you despise the most."

I suddenly stopped walking, causing him to turn back.

"Why?" I asked, taken back.

"Because," he began, "It's the start of a new life. Why not start it with the satisfaction of killing the one whose hurt you most in your past?"

"But- I don't- uh…" I couldn't find anything to say.

"Don't 'but' me, newbie." He ordered, no hint of joking in his voice. "Now tell me, who has wronged you the most?"

I hesitated, but decided to tell him anyway. "My mother."

"Somehow I knew that." He said to himself.

"I mean I hate my mother; I hate her with every fiber of my being, but I don't want to kill her... kind of…"

He sighed. "Kind of?"

"Well…" I began, "if I kill her, what will become of my little sister? Heather may have treated me as her bitch, but she never hurt a hair on Sondra."

"I'm sure your mother has written some kind of will or something and she's probably the sole beneficiary." He assured me.

I was going to try to prove that wrong, but I remember she had a meeting with her lawyer and they settled it all out, just incase I 'snapped' and came after her first. Wow, she's a terrific planner… "Well… what if she witnesses this? I don't want her to remember me that way."

"Well…" he thought for a moment, possibly just humoring me, "why don't we just cross that bridge when we get her."

"But-"

"Don't worry," he interrupted, "no matter the situation, your little sister will not be harmed in any shape or form."

I stared him down for a moment, but gave in. For some reason, I felt I could trust him; I was skeptical, but trusting.

"Oh, and just so you know, your first meal can't come out of some vein; you have to get it directly from the source: the heart."

I wanted to say 'Eew', but for some reason, that sounded really appetizing. _Ack! What am I thinking? Eating my mother's heart? I…I…_

"Now, take me to where you used to live." He said, walking off.

"N-No, I... I can't!" I still haven't moved.

"Tell me."

"No! If I kill her, then Sondra will be an orphan and I don't want her to suffer like that!"

Jayden sighed and massaged the bridge of his nose. "I can eat her if you want."

"NO!" I yelled, but he laughed.

"_Joke_, it was a joke. Don't worry; she'll be fine, I know it. Now, where is your house?" He asked again.

I sighed in defeat and pointed. "It's about three miles that way."

"Okay, let's go." He said, taking my hand and began walking all the way to my hometown without saying much at all.

We were about a quarter mile away from the house when flashing red and blue lights suddenly ambushed us. The brightness was irritating and I wished he'd turn them off. A cop had found us, and I'm pretty sure he's suspicious of two young people walking out here so late at night, especially in the outfits we chose. The officer stepped out of the cruiser and approached us.

"Well, what are you two doing out here this late?" He squinted ant took a closer look at us. Right away, I recognized the voice of my best friend's father. "Wait, Tobie, is that you?"

I wanted to say yes, but, I remembered that I must deny it at all costs. Stupid rules. "I'm sorry, officer, you must have me mistaken." I said, eyeing the ground, trying not to make eye contact with him and to avoid hurting my eyes from the lights.

"No, it's certainly you, Tobie. I saw you just the other day when Stephen… nevermind. But what're you doing with this shady character?" He asked as he shined the flashlight in Jayden's face, causing him to squint. "Don't like that light? Huh, boy?" He laughed. "What are you, a vampire or something?"

Jayden put his arm down and bared his fangs and jumped on him. I let out a surprised cry, almost to the point of begging for his life. "Stop, Jayden! Please, leave him… leave... alone..." I was suddenly overcome by the smell of blood. I couldn't move; couldn't think. All I knew was that my canines got bigger inside my mouth and I was hungry. I was in such ecstasy that I hadn't noticed the yelling had stopped and the policeman I once knew in a past life was dead. When he was done, Jayden stood up and came to me.

"You feel it, don't you?" Jayden asked, wiping blood from his cheek. "You smelt the blood, now you feel the need to kill."

I took a deep breath and nodded. He put his hand on my cheek and brought his face close to mine.

"Let's go get her." He whispered, taking my hand and we ran off into town.

We finally arrived at my old house and I managed to retract my fangs. I couldn't wait to get inside, but Jayden stopped me.

"Patience. You must be patient. Remember, you want to make sure Sondra is taken care of first."

"Right." I whispered, getting my bearings and knocking on the door.

A few seconds passed and I heard the faint sound of footsteps approach the door. Judging by the patterns of her movements, I figured she looked through the peep-hole. She must've because I suddenly heard an obnoxious squeal.

"My baby!"

_Ugh, she's a terrible actor._

The door suddenly swung open and she came to me, wrapping me in her arms. It must be taking a lot out of her, touching me like this, you know… affectionately.

"You had me worried!" she cried, then turned her attention to Jayden. "Hello! Please, do come in, come in." She spun around and stood by the door.

I looked at Jayden at the same moment he looked at me. I could tell he was already as sick of her act as I was.

We went inside my old residence and she shut the door behind us. We took our seats next to each other on the couch and she sat down across the table.

"Thank you so much, young man, for returning my baby girl." She said, wiping away a 'tear'. "She had me worried sick."

He nodded. "I bet she did."

"Oh, yes. You see, her sister has been at a loss. She had no sister for a while, and she thought something bad happened to her. She couldn't bear to be around so many things that reminded her of our Tobie; I had her stay at a friend's house tonight."

_Good I'm glad Sondra won't get involved in all this bloodshed._

"Oh, baby, you had us worried si-"

"Will you shut the fuck up, already?" I yelled, interrupting her and standing up. "I know you didn't miss me at all. I can tell you're lying, and it makes _me_ sick!"

She gave me a fake sad look. "Tobie, you're making mommy sad."

"Oh please! I could really care less how you feel!" I felt my sanity- and patience- slip away with every second that dragged on. "Do you know how you made _me_ feel all these years? And don't even _try_ with the obviously fake tears. I can _smell_ the onion."

"Now, calm down honey, don't be selfish."

"_Selfish_?" I repeated, not believing my own ears. "Oh, you mean the way you've been since Dad died? Everything had to be about you, everything anybody ever did had to be for or about you. The wedding was all about _you_. Dad's funeral was all about _you_. You, you, you, you, YOU!" Then, I had a sudden realization. "Oh wait, you were like that before when you cheated on him, you whore!"

"Jezebelle..." Jayden quietly said, trying to calm me down, although unsuccessfully.

"Shut up!" I yelled to him, not breaking my attention off the dead-woman before me. He just shrugged and sat back in his chair, folding his hands behind his head.

"I give up; listen here Tobie," Heather _finally_ began, dropping her horrible little act, "I cheated on him because I never loved him in the first place. The only thing that kept me married to him was the fact you were here, so it's your fault I cheated on him." I was taken back and felt myself shake and start tearing up as she continued. "Oh, and let me let you in on a little secret: your daddy didn't die of a heart attack. I needed something and Jaren was in the way. So, that day, when he came home from work, I fixed him his drink, as usual." I saw a sinister grin spread across her face. "You know, some guys just can't hold their arsenic."

That was it; I had heard enough from her. "That's it! Jayden, may I?"

He nodded in approval. "I've been waiting for you to do this since the front door shut." He said, handing me the package Yuura gave him before we left.

I opened the box and saw a beautiful black bladed knife with a red and gold handle. When I wrapped my hand around the handle, the blade turned pure white. I tossed the box to my partner and advanced toward Heather.

She saw the weapon and her eyes got wide with panic. She tried to get up, but I grabbed her robe and she slipped and fell on her back. I ran over and sat on her stomach as I started stabbing at her chest, carving the beating heart out of her with my right hand, muffling her screams with my left. I was holding the heart in my hands when I heard her last words escape her mouth: "I always despised you."

I looked her straight in the eyes and gave her a sincere expression. "I know. And words cannot express the hatred I have had toward you."

I felt her body relax as her spirit, no… consciousness left the corpse; I cannot associate that woman with ever having a soul. The heart was still beating as I brought it up to my lips; my canines elongating again as I took my first bite. Some blood was dripping down my chin as I sucked the blood out of the organ, feeling the warm fluid drain down my throat, fulfilling my hunger. At this point, all logic and negative thoughts left me. All I could think about was blood and how good it felt having some right now.

I had finished with it, and in my hand was nothing but bloodstain. Movement caught my eye and I was distracted, but I realized it was just Jayden. He had gotten up and approached me, putting his hand on my shoulder.

"Let's get you cleaned up." He suggested, "We need to get going."

I looked down at the corpse and felt no remorse whatsoever. I did, however feel a little uneasy with her looking at me with her blank black eyes, so I moved my hand over her face, closing them. At that, I had just realized Shigure was in the kitchen barking at us.

Jayden helped me up and I made my way to the bathroom while he proceeded to silence the mutt. I looked in the mirror and debunked another vampire myth: vampires actually do have a reflection. But why shouldn't they? I mean, we are composed of matter, have shadows, and exist, why shouldn't we have a reflection?

_Wait,_ I thought to myself, _did I just refer to vampires as we?_

I saw in the reflection the bloodstain coming from my mouth and down my chin; my hands were a mess too, so I turned on the warm water and cleaned myself off.

Before I left, I took one last look in the mirror when I noticed something else; my originally violet eyes were replaced by blood red ones like Yuki had when he bit me. This disappointed me because I really liked my eye color. Hopefully the color will come back for me like it did for him.

When I was finished, I decided to take a look at my room to see if I wanted to grab anything else, but upon opening my door, I discovered Heather had turned it into a very large closet for Sondra. Leave it to her to erase me right away. I shuddered to think what she did to the 'family' albums.

"Come on, we need to go, now." Jayden said as he came upstairs to find me.

I nodded before shutting the door and leaving this godforsaken place, stepping over the lifeless corpse of the dog.

We left the house and walked back to the mansion through the woods to save time. All while we were walking, I couldn't help but feel bad for my sister, considering what she would end up coming home to tomorrow.

"How do you feel?" He asked, breaking the silence.

"I'm fine. Right now, I feel like… like… I don't know. I want to do… something. I don't want to go to sleep."

He laughed. "Me neither."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

We got back to the mansion where Yuura, Yuki, and Wallace were by the door to greet us. Jayden lead me upstairs without so much as a 'hello' to the others. We got into my room and I jumped into bed, him still standing by my door.

I looked over at Jayden and asked him what happens next. He responded saying that we can do anything we want. He then came closer and put his hands on the bed on both sides of me and leaned forward causing me to fall backwards.

"Wait," I stopped him, right before things could progress, "What's going on? What're you trying to do?"

"Celebrating your completion of the first step." He replied, leaning in to kiss me, but I stopped him again.

"But, I thought you didn't like me enough for… _that_." I pointed out.

He was taken back and gave me a confused look. "What gave you that idea?"

"When you first saw me at dinner before the ritual you treated me with no respect."

"How?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "Give me three examples."

"Let me see, you were rude at the dinner table, and you protested when Yuura told you to take me to my room. Then, after _that_ display of dislike, you slammed the door in my face before I could say anything. There, three."

He smirked a sexy little smirk and gave a sly laugh. "When I first saw you, I fell in love with you, but I didn't know if you'd be here just for the night or if you were joining us. I assumed the former so I wouldn't get too emotionally attached, so it would be less heart breaking to see you go."

"Oh…" I replied, absorbing this information.

"But," he continued, "now that I know you're staying, I can fall for you as much as I want." He whispered, kissing my neck.

I started getting really into it, but I stopped him. I moved my body toward the center of the bed, sitting up and looking him in the eyes.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"No. I mean yes. Yes, I'm fine. It's just that we only just met." I pointed out.

"True, true." He replied, nodding. "If you don't want to then we don't have to."

I sat there and stared into his amazing grey eyes until I couldn't stand it much longer. I brought myself closer to him, hesitated for a moment, but continued to kiss him anyway, disregarding my withdrawal.

I felt him bring his hand to my jaw line and I melted. With every moment we spent with each other, things got more and more passionate to the point where he started to take off my top. Normally, I'd stop him right there, but I felt like this had to happen, so I started to unbutton his shirt.

However, I found my senses and stopped at the first button.

He pulled away a little and tilted his head to one side. "Not now?"

"Well…" I began, "I want to…it's just that… well…" I trailed off.

"Don't worry," he whispered, "I'll be gentle."

At that, I gave in and continued with the shirt. When I managed to get it off, I noticed a large scar that started where his heart is located and went down to his hip. I gently ran my fingers over it.

"Long story." He said, answering my unasked question.

"Shorten it." I said between breaths.

He sighed. "It happened the day I was turned."

That was enough explanation for now, so I fell back into the bed and we continued.

At this point all I had on was my strapless black bra, my fishnets, underwear and skirt. His hand made it down my back and he unzipped the back of the skirt and slowly slipped it off. Judging by the expression on his face, it seems that he got a little excited when he found out my fishnets are not, in fact, one piece; they're thigh-highs.

He took my right leg and gently felt upward, taking the end and gently rolling it off, touching every inch of skin from thigh to toe, doing the same to the other leg. Having him gently caressing my legs like that felt so… so good.

But then, out of nowhere, I started feeling… dirty; like some kind of whore or something. I mean, I just met this guy, and only just started getting to know him, and I'm about to have sex with him after just one day? Well, he is impossibly beautiful, and I was told I'll be spending a lot of time, if not the rest of my life with him, but still…

Just then, he stopped kissing me. "You seem reluctant." He pointed out. "Your energy and enthusiasm just kind of… dropped."

"I know." I said apologetically. "It's just that I only knew you for, like, a day and-"

He put two fingers gently over my lips. "I understand. If you want, I could just go."

"No!" I said, probably quicker than the situation called for. He gave me a surprised look. "I-I mean, I don't want you to go, but…" I trailed off again.

He rolled over and lay next to me, caressing the side of my face. "I'll just stay here and you can… do whatever you want with me."

We stared into each others eyes for a moment until I moved closer to him, curling up while he held me in his chest and I wound up falling asleep listening to his breathing.

---

I woke up a while later and I had uncomfortable pressure building in my bladder. I slid myself out from under Jayden's muscular arm and got out of bed, causing him to groan and roll over.

I went to the closet to grab a robe, because I didn't want to get caught with only a bra and underwear. I dug through the closet and finally found it, putting it on before leaving for the bathroom.

By now I really, _really_ had to pee, so I bolted down the hall, down the stairs, and skidded to a halt right in front of the restroom. I closed the door behind me and ran to the toilet to relieve myself.

I washed my hands when I was finished and decided to rinse off my face since my makeup was smearing. After drying off, I took a closer look in the mirror and was delighted to find my eyes returned to its original violet color, except now they were a more bold shade of purple. I left the facilities humming, very pleased with myself. I was also happy to discover the cut in my hand was nothing but a faint scar.

"Well, aren't we all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed today?" I stopped humming and turned to see Mister Wallace.

"Oh, yeah," I replied, "I'm not sure why, but I'm in an extra special good mood today, Mister Wallace." I suddenly remembered back to the last time I saw him and decided to confront him about it. "By the way, last time I saw you alone, I think I was hallucinating and fainted. You know, before that 'ritual' thing. Did you have anything to do with that?"

He bowed his head. "I'm sorry for frightening you, young Madame, but it was an order from Master Yuura that needed to be carried out; I understand if you don't forgive me."

"I see," I said, taking in this information, "well, I forgive you. It's really no big deal, I suppose since I'm here now and that's all that really matters, right?"

"Indeed." He replied, nodding.

"Oh, by the way, Mister Wallace, do you happen to have the time?"

He took a look at his watch before he replied. "It's 6:00 in the afternoon."

"Sheesh, I overslept." I replied, surprised with myself.

"Actually, quite the contrary milady," he corrected, "you under slept. You're a vampire now, so you're going to end up nocturnal."

"Oh, that's right, I keep forgetting. Well, thank you Mister Wallace." I said, turning and heading for the stairs.

"Actually, Madame," he stopped me, causing me to turn around, "I am but a butler, so you can address me as Wallace or Wally if you prefer."

I thought about that for a short second and decided on a name. "Okay, um… Wallace. Thank you very much. Have a nice evening."

He bowed, and I gave a return bow before proceeding upstairs to return to bed.

_I don't think I'll ever be able to call him Wally_ I thought to myself. _If I do that, then I'll wind up thinking about my grandfather from when I was human. _

My father's father, Grampa Wally, was the only other person that ever treated me like a normal human being. After his death and that of his son, I hit a downward emotional spiral and became the quiet dark girl I was before this 'life'.

I finally arrived and opened the door to my room and saw Jayden sitting up in my bed, staring at me.

"Where were you?" He asked.

"Oh, I just went to the bathroom is all." I replied, walking over to the bed. "Why? Think I'll get lost or something?"

He laughed and shook his head. "I didn't know if Hansyn decided to steal you and take you as a sex-slave for the evening. He's been known to do that."

"Hansyn?" I asked, realizing the only people I really know are both sets of twins, the butler, Jayden, and Genevieve.

"He's the tallest one of us all. He's also the strongest, and by far the most horny."

"That's not helping. I need to know what he looks like."

"Tall, shaggy blonde hair, has eyes that change color, mostly to a fuchsia, indicating sexual desire."

I raised an eyebrow at that description. "O…k… I'll keep my eyes peeled."

I took off the robe and went under the covers and lay back down into his warm embrace. I lay there in silence when I decided to ask something that's been bothering me since I've come to terms with who- and what- I have become. "Jayden?" I asked, rolling over to look at him.

"Hm?"

"What happens if we get exposed to sunlight?"

He was silent for a moment.

"I mean do we, like, burst into flames or turn to ash or something?"

"No, we don't." He replied, slightly laughing. "We are extremely sensitive to sunlight, but it wouldn't burn us so fast that we'd spontaneously combust. We'd be fine for a few minutes, but that's about it. Too long we could just drop to the ground."

"Oh."

"Basically, the sun sucks our energy from us and we'd be exhausted from too much exposure. Why do you ask? Thinking about running away?"

"Oh, no, not at all." I assured him. "I'm just trying to sort out what's myth from what's the truth."

---

I had a dream that was basically just a replay of me killing my mother, except this time there was an earthquake.

I woke up to Jayden gently shaking me awake.

"Ugh, stop it." I whined, rolling over to face away from him.

I felt him feeling my bare shoulder with his soft hands and gently moving his lips up and down my neck. He found a spot on the base of my neck that felt really, _really_ good, causing me to let out a soft moan.

"We need to get up; it's already 8:30." He whispered in my ear sending tingles down my spine.

I took a deep breath and slowly sat up, arching my back and cracked every vertebra in my spine.

"That sounded like it felt good; I wish my back could do that." He said, setting his hands on my shoulders, pulling me backwards into his chest.

I leaned back and he moved his hands from my shoulders, down my arms and started gently caressing my stomach and kissing the top of my head. I put my hand on his arm, slowly moving it to his hand where I put my fingers between his. I turned my head so I could kiss him; I was centimeters away from his lips when we were interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Madame Jezebelle, you've been summoned by the Masters Yuki and Yuura." Wallace said through the door.

"Thank you!" I replied, then let out a big sigh, getting up to get dressed. "Let's see…" I said to myself, sorting through my clothes. I decided on my camouflage boy-shorts and a plain black tee shirt. I brought the clothes to the bed and was about to unlatch my bra when Jayden stopped me.

"What's this?" He asked, holding up my shorts.

"Those were Stephen's. We were hanging out once and it started raining and, since I needed a change of clothes, he lent me those. I liked them so much, I never returned them."

He got out of bed and put them on.

"Um, those are mine and I'm about to put them on, so give them back." He shook his head in defiance. "Those are my favorite shorts, get them back!" I demanded, tugging at the side pocket.

"No." He said, grabbing my wrist. "You're a beautiful female vampire; you shouldn't hide yourself under baggy clothes. From now on, they're mine."

"You jerk! Give them back!" I pushed him onto the bed, and I sat on his legs and tried taking them off. Unfortunately, he tied the built-in belt thing too tight.

He then sat up. "I'm not taking these because I like them; I'm taking these because it's not allowed for the women to wear clothes like this."

My jaw dropped. "What? Why?"

"Master Yuki has established a dress code."

"Ugh, this sucks!" I groaned, pounding my fist on my leg. "I love my clothes, _my_ style. Argh…" I growled in frustration and got up, pacing a little, arms crossed.

"It shouldn't be such a big deal." He continued. "If you let me have them, you won't have to throw them out. Plus, you'll look better in the designated _Vamp. Garb._"

"What the fu-, _Vamp. Garb?!_"

He nodded. "I know, sounds lame, but it's clothes that has been approved of by the Masters."

"But… that sucks." I dropped my arms to my side and let out a big sigh.

"Again, I know, but it's a small price to pay for everything we recieve like free lodging, protection, medical treatment, etc."

After some consideration, I nodded in agreement "You can keep them under one condition" He turned his head, showing he was listening. "You let me wear them every once in a while."

After he agreed to the terms, I let him get out of bed. "I'm going to get dressed." He informed me. "Don't forget: The Masters want to see you."

"I know." I said before he shut the door.

"Okay, leader approved garb… I'm assuming only skimpy clothes." I said out loud to myself and dug through my closet, deciding on a plain black tee and my purple pajama bottoms. I'm sure he wouldn't mind that for lounging around. I changed my undergarments and put on the clothes I pulled out and headed downstairs.

When I went into the dining area, Yuura was sitting in a chair at the end of the table. "Hello, dear." He said, but his voice made it seem more frightening than when Yuki calls me that. "Come, have a seat." I sat in the chair directly in front of him and gave him my full attention. "I'm sure Jayden has explained some things to you, so I'm going to ask you what you know, and I'll just fill in the blanks for you."

"Things like what?" I questioned, voice slightly trembling from his intimidating presence.

"Well, the rules of course." He replied, smiling sweetly. "And maybe the restrictions and freedoms that come with being a vampire."

"Oh, I see…" I was even more scared of the Yuura that was trying to be nice than the Yuura actually being himself. I thought about the question for a moment then told him everything I knew, including our tolerance of sunlight, the falsity of wooden stakes, our weakness to silver bullets, the dress code, etc…

"That's a really good start." He told me. "Everything you told me was accurate and just saved us about an hour of lecture." I hoped we were done here, but I was mistaken, for he spoke up and continued. "However, he did miss some things. For example, the only ones that can turn others into vampires are pureblood vampires. The only ones here that are pure are Yuki, myself and Wallace."

"Wallace as in Wallace the butler?"

"Yes. He's gotten very, _very_ old and has decided to retire as an active vampire. We tried to convince him otherwise, but he wouldn't change his mind. All we could do was agree that he would stay with us as our butler, and he's extremely content with his decision."

I nodded. "As long as he's happy, right?"

"Of course." He nodded in agreement. "I think you should also know that regular vampires, such as yourself do not age, but us purebloods age much _much _more slower than humans. He haven't been able to figure out a mathematical scale to decipher vampire years to human years, so I can't tell you exactly _how_ much slower."

I nodded in acknowledgement. "Must be nice."

"Yes, well, let me tell you that I was present during the assassination of the American president… oh, what was his name? Oh, that's right, Abraham Lincoln. I was also alive back when the Salem witch trials were being held, and when America got her freedom from Britain."

_He's so old,_ I thought to myself,_ but he doesn't look much older than 29._

"Why, Jayden is about 150 years old." He said with a laugh.

At that, my stomach just did a summersault. _I almost had sex with an old guy?_

"But do not worry, young one. We may all be 'old' by human standards, but we're really quite young."

"I know. It's just a little weird."

"Yes, it may seem that way." He said, nodding. " Anyway, let's continue. The reason you can't go out alone is for safety reasons. I know everyone is perfectly capable of taking care of and fighting for themselves, but Yuki and myself would feel much more at ease if we used the 'buddy system'."

'_Buddy System'? Nice._

"Also, holy water has no affect because it's just water that came out of some glorified community center, and garlic doesn't keep us away. And, the mirrors… I'm sure you've noticed by now that we do in fact have a reflection, and the story saying we can't cross running water is false. Do you understand so far, my dear Jezebelle?"

"Yes, I understand." I responded. "Now, what about the dress code?"

"Oh yes, the dress code… that's Yuki's idea." He said, seemingly trying to pass blame onto his brother. "He decided on that rule long ago and nobody has complained yet. I'm sure that since you were, as they call it a 'tomboy', you may have objections?"

I shook my head. "It's really no big deal." I lied. "The problem is, though, that most of my clothes I own I got from the boy's sections at random clothing stores, so I don't have much to follow that rule."

He gave a quiet, eerie laugh. "Don't worry about that. The basement is full of 'Yuki approved apparel'."

I nodded, but was disappointed. "Okay then. I'd love to take a look sometime." I smiled a fake smile. I hoped that since I didn't have clothes like that I would be off the hook, but I'm guessing not….

"Of course. Well, that's really all I wanted to tell you; you are dismissed." He said, waving me off.

I bowed my head and got up and left. I was halfway up the stairs when I saw someone come down. She had long, beautiful, wavy blonde hair and a tight red dress. I suppose the outfit would be fine so long as she didn't make any sudden moves…

"Oh, you must be the new girl. We haven't officially met yet; I'm Genevieve." She greeted, offering her hand.

I suddenly remembered her; she was the one in the bathtub last night with those two guys. We shook hands and I instantly felt drawn to her; I felt that she was really important somehow, and on a personal level- even though we'd never met before.

As our hands had contact with each other, I saw her fingernails were long and painted red. Closer inspection showed that the nail on her right index finger was sharpened to a point.

Just then, I realized I hadn't properly introduced myself. "It's a pleasure to meet you Miss Genevieve, my name's Tob- err, Jezebelle."

She giggled. "It's nice to meet you, too, 'Tob- err, Jezebelle'." She joked. "I'll see you around, okay?" She said, leaving out the door with the timid young vampire I saw the night of the ritual. "Come Kaydence." She ordered, causing the girl to follow closely as she had before. When they were gone, I returned to my room.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

I went in and rummaged through my closet and changed into my red and black Tripp pants from Hot Topic, but kept on my plain black tee shirt. I also changed into my red and black stripped underwear; my favorites. I donned my 3 inch studded black leather bracelet and my hemp necklace that had a ball and claw thing on the front. I put my hair into a messy bun and kept my bangs down.

_I hope this'll be acceptable._

I left my room and saw Jayden walking down the hall toward me.

"Not bad," He said, getting closer, "but does it have to be _pants_?"

"Shut it." I replied, not wanting to hear it.

We went down stairs and as we got into better light, I saw he was wearing black pants and a plain black tee shirt under a faux leather jacket.

"Are you ready for day two?" He asked.

"Yeah." I said as we headed out the door. I looked around and saw the slightest bit of sunshine disappearing into the distance.

"Um, what are we going to do tonight?" I looked up at him and asked, slightly frightened as to what the answer might be.

"Well, we're out to do whatever we want." He replied.

"And what would that entail?"

"Well, we could go out to clubs, go feed off some bum, or just go out and wreak havoc."

_Feeding off a bum is a pastime?!_

"Or," he continued, "we could find some stores that would still be open at this hour and get you some clothes."

"Well, I'm really not into the whole 'clubbing' scene, considering I'm underage, and I don't have any money, so shopping is out."

"Not necessarily." He corrected. "I have money and I know this great place that sells clothes we could get."

"How do you get money?" I inquired, again scared of the answer.

"Our victims; we feed on their blood and take whatever money they have on them. I somehow manage to keep landing myself a bunch of rich people."

I laughed. _Wait, why am I laughing?_ I asked myself._ Hurting people is wrong. How could he say these things so lightly?_

"I bet you're feeling bad for them." He said, snapping me out of it. "Everyone feels bad about killing for blood and looting them, but after a while, you get used to it. Plus, we normally just take out bad people; people who deserve it."

"Oh… okay."

We continued walking without saying much. On occasion a random deer or raccoon spooked me and he'd laugh at my skittish-ness.

"So not funny, asshole." I glowered.

After collecting himself, he finally responded. "Sorry, but it is. You are the only thing to be feared the most, and yet you're scared of harmless little critters."

"But, I just don't want to get rabies if they wind up biting me!" I said trying to defend myself.

"Don't worry, we're immune to pretty much any disease, including rabies." He assured me.

"Which reminds me, I've always wanted to ask; do vampires get HIV?"

He laughed at my question. "No, we don't, but I can see why you'd ask that. You have a good sense of humor, and that's a great quality to have."

I blushed at the compliment.

We finally entered the city limits and walked down the main street. There were lots of people crowded outside this one building and as I looked closer, I saw the sign said 'The PIER'.

"That's The PIER." Captain Obvious pointed out. "It's a fun club; I think you'd like it."

I looked up at him. "What kind of club is it?"

He looked down at me and smiled. "It's a gay club."

I giggled. "I remember, my best friend Stephen made me promise that on his 18th birthday, I'd have to take him, since I'm 2 months older than him."

He gave me a confused look. "You're not even fazed by the fact that it's a _gay _club?"

"Why would I? I mean, my best friend is gay, so I'm used to it." I informed him. "Plus, you don't absolutely have to be gay to go there, right?"

"I guess not…"

We walked by a dark alley and heard some faint yelling.

"There's a woman being mugged." He pointed out as we ran into the alleyway. Then, behold: the woman being mugged for her purse. "I think you know what to do." Jayden said to me, stepping back.

I nodded and ran and gave the guy a flying kick to the head, causing him to fall down.

"What the fuck? This isn't any of your business, little bitch!" He yelled, turning his attention to me and threatening me with a knife.

I backed up and began to panic. However, when the smell of the blood finally reached me, instinct took over. I felt my fangs grow, and I launched at him, pinning him against the wall and biting his neck. With every second I sucked his blood, I felt him die a little. I didn't care, he deserved it and his blood was so succulent. I then ripped out his heart and drained that as well.

By the time I had finished, he was dead, and Jayden gently laid the woman down.

"You fed off her?" I questioned, wiping my face clean with my hand.

"No," he replied, standing up, "I make it a point to let someone else's victims live. Besides, not a bad person, remember?"

I nodded as he got up and pulled out my victim's wallet and handed me the cash the guy had on him.

"Just remember, we have to give the Leaders about 10%." He reminded me.

"Why?" I asked, disappointed that my newly acquired ten dollars seemed a lot less.

"Think of it as rent."

---

We finally got back from 'hunting' and we just barely made it in time. The sun was rising and Wallace was closing the door.

"I hope you two have a good reason for being so late." He stated as we gathered ourselves.

"We just had a very successful night." Jayden said, handing the butler 10% of our loot, which added up to about 150 bucks.

"_This_ is 10%?" He questioned, giving us a suspicious look.

Jayden and I looked at each other and laughed. "Like I said, a _very_ successful night."

He and I took off our shoes and ran upstairs with my hand in his. We got to my room and I ran in while he shut the door behind us.

"You were amazing." He said, walking up to me and wrapping his arms around my waist.

"That was the first time I tried something like that. I had no idea I was _that_ appealing."

"Oh, but you are." He said kissing my neck.

--- (Begin Flashback)

After the alley incident, Jayden and I decided to go to The PIER.

"But, how am I going to get in?" I asked. "I'm underage and I don't have a photo I.D."

"Don't worry," he assured me, "I know the guys who work there; they'll let you in."

At that, we walked to the front doors, past the line, and right up to the bouncers. One was tall, very muscular, and black. The other one was just as tall, but much less built and seemed to be Asian; both of them wore sunglasses, even though it's nighttime…

"Jayden, my man," the bigger one greeted, shaking his hand, "we haven't seen you in a while. Oh," his eyes grew big as he looked at me, "and who's this attractive young lady?" He asked.

"This is miss Jezebelle." Jayden introduced.

"Ooh, lovely name, _miss Jezebelle_." He said, smiling a seductive grin and winking. He undid the rope and let us in and as we entered, we heard the other people in line groaning and whining in protest.

We went in and saw tons of people dancing to the blaring music, strobe lights flashing, and different colored lights scanning the people. It took me a minute to get my eyes to adjust to the harsh lights and my nose to stop being so overwhelmed by the many odors that filled the area.

Everyone was having a good time, and the people on the side in the seats were having a better time. Jayden and I went straight to the bar and took a seat. I'm not a very good dancer, which is fine, because I'm sure I'll still enjoy myself by socializing.

After about an hour or so, things started to pick up. We started talking to other people and they seemed to really like me. Everyone kept asking questions about me and a few of them bought me drinks. Even though I turned them down, they didn't stop trying.

We had interesting conversations; there was this one girl, Tanya, which led a similar life as me. She too had a sister that her mom adored and didn't care one way or another if 'the other daughter' went missing. She moved out when she turned 18, and her life got much better, and I was happy for her.

It was later in the night and there was about half the amount of people as there were at the beginning, but was still really busy. The music was really good, and some of our new 'friends' noticed a stripper pole in the corner.

"Hey, Jezebelle?" Tanya said, getting my attention. "What would you say if we asked you to do a dance for us?"

"Uh, I'd have to say 'no'." I replied, blushing.

"Oh, come on! It'll be fun!" She insisted, bouncing up and down in her drunken stupor.

"No, I'm a horrible dancer." I insisted. I had always hated being the center of attention- that, or I was just never used to it.

Then she gave a sad puppy dog face. "How about if you and I did one together?"

At that, I started to consider it. "Ok fine, but I'm not stripping."

Without a second to waste, she grabbed my wrist and lugged me all the way to the pole followed by a bunch of people who gathered around and started cheering. I started to lose myself in the fun, so I took off my shirt, earning myself a huge applause and a twenty in my bra. I accidentally bumped into Tanya, but she went along with it. She had one hand on the pole and the other hand on my shoulder, leaned in, and we shared a very sensual lesbian kiss. The cheering got louder, and we both felt people toss money at us. We ended the kiss and looked at each other and couldn't help but laugh.

Suddenly, I heard Jayden yelling my name. "Jezebelle, we need to go."

"Aaww…" Many people sighed.

I looked at the clock and realized he was right, so I picked up my shirt and helped Tanya gather the money.

"No. You take it." She insisted before I could divvy up the splendor. "Sharing that experience with you was reward enough."

--- (End Flashback)

After about a minute of making out by the door, he stopped, picked me up, and carried me to the bed. He gently set me in the middle and continued kissing me from neck to chest. I sat up and took my shirt off… again and lay down as he unbuttoned my pants and slowly slipped them off my body. He removed his shirt and returned to kiss me and I felt his hand move to my back to try and unlatch my bra.

"Sorry, but you're doing it wrong." I told him as he gave me a confused look. "It's in the front."

He and I continued kissing while he figured out how to unhook the god-forsaken garment. I noticed he finally figured it out because I heard a faint 'snap' and felt the bra separate itself. He slid it off me when I put my hand on his shoulder and pushed him over, laying him on his back.

I situated myself and was sitting on top of him when he sat up. I had both hands on his shoulders and he held me with one arm, pressing my body against his. With his right hand on my back, he started moving his left hand down and started stroking me through my underwear.

Both of us breathing heavily, he began kissing downward. He once again found that one spot on my neck and started nibbling at it, causing me to moan with pleasure. Just then, I could feel his fangs come in. He brushed them against my neck and I wanted him to do more; I wanted him to bite me, if only a little.

But it was too late; his fangs retracted, but he wound up gently biting my neck with regular teeth, causing me to groan before laying myself down in the bed. He looked at me, and then got out of the bed, taking off his pants; I had forgotten they were still on.

All of a sudden, reality hit me. _I'm sitting here in my bed, half naked and this guy I met recently is taking his pants off. All that _plus _the fact that he's 150 years old!? What am I doing?!_

I was so lost in thought I hadn't noticed he was sitting next to me, staring into my eyes. "Is something wrong?" He asked, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

"No, nothing's wrong." I lied. I decided that I have waited long enough to have sex with someone straight and wanted _me_, so, why not?

"Are you sure?" He inquired, tilting his head to the side.

"… uh huh…"

He dropped his head and sighed. "I don't buy it." He had caught me, and I was embarrassed; I felt myself blush. "Jezebelle, I'm not going to make you do anything you're not ready for, and you clearly aren't." He got out of the bed and walked towards the door, and I felt frustrated.

"So, since you're not going to get any, you're just going to leave?" I said, voice cracking at the last word.

He spun around and brought himself half a foot from me. "No, that's not it; I'm not some pig who'll just leave a girl just because she doesn't put out." He said in a stern, unshaken voice. "I'm going now. Get some sleep." At that, he got up and left my room.

I sat in my bed, still half naked, and began crying. I lay myself down to wallow in my own self pity and fell asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

I got up the next evening, but I didn't feel like moving. In fact, I _couldn't_ move, but that didn't faze me because I didn't want to be here anyway. I got rejected and supremely embarrassed and I felt I didn't deserve the elegant title of vampire.

I was in my bed, not moving but conscious for about an hour until someone came into my room. "It's time to get up. Tonight is our night to watch the mansion."

I didn't need to look to see who it was because I recognized that voice; the voice of my _partner_.

"I'm sick. I just want to be left alone, so go away." I demanded, rolling over. As I did that, I felt that my entire back was stiff from staying in one position for too long.

"First of all, you can't get sick because we don't get diseases or any illness. Second, you need to get out of the funk you're in because it's embarrassing to see a fellow vampire like that. We are elegant and pristine, not sad little emotional animals now get up before you taint the title forever."

I quickly sat up and gave him an evil look. That look, however, faded as soon as it was created and was replaced by that of pain.

"Are you okay?" He asked, concerned.

"I'm fine. I'm just… not a morning person." I replied, arching my back and feeling every vertebra pop.

"That sounded painful." He pointed out.

"Shut it." I spat, getting up and staggered to the closet to get dressed with my arms wrapped around my naked chest.

"Are you okay?"

"It's nothing to worry about." I assured him, even though my back was killing me. We were quiet for a bit when he decided to break the silence.

"Listen," he said quietly, "I'm sorry if I treated you harshly last night. I knew you were pushing yourself to do something you know you didn't want to do, so I tried making it very clear that you didn't have to."

I sighed as I put on a black tank top. I turned around and looked him in his beautiful grey eyes and felt as if I was about to cry, but I composed myself. "You're wrong. I did want to; I just wasn't ready." I sighed. "Actually, I'm the one who should apologize."

"Don't apologize. Let's just pretend it never happened." He suggested. "Now that you're dressed, let's get ready to keep watch."

"Wait, watch the mansion? I thought Wallace..."

"Yeah, I know, but even as strong as Wallace is we need to have some immediate backup just in case."

I sighed. _But, what is there to do when you can't go out? I hate being cooped up in one place for too long... _

"I know it sounds boring," he continued, "but there's actually tons of stuff that could be done."

"Like what?"

"Well, we have a lot of movies and video games, not to mention a Nintendo Wii, an X-Box, PS2, and an old-school playstation."

_He had me at 'video games'._

I was about ready to bolt downstairs and go straight for the Playstation, but an odd smell caught my nose and I realized I needed to take a shower. I turned to Jayden. "Shower… where?"

"I'll take you." He replied opening my door and ushering me downstairs.

_I wish he'd said that last night…_

When we got there, I neatly folded my clothes and put them on the floor by the shower, turned it on to a comfortable temperature, took off my clothes and got in.

The water pressure was amazing and the temperature was perfect. That and the shower was _huge_. It had 3 shower heads and could fit half a football team in there. On the shelves, there were many assortments of shampoos and other kinds of soaps; I didn't know which one to use, but I think Jayden read my mind because he told me the vanilla one belonged to me.

"What, are we assigned scents, too?" I asked, jokingly.

He laughed. "No, when Walter unpacked your luggage, he found your soap and put it in here."

"Thanks." I replied. Then, it dawned on me... "What are you still doing in here? Get out!"

Seconds later, I heard the door open then close. I looked at the bottle again and, sure enough, it was mine from before I came here. I know because I drew a black 'X' on the bottom.

While lathering the soap in my hair, I started thinking about what happened last night and started beating myself up. I know he said it wasn't my fault and that he was just looking out for me, but I still feel stupid for letting myself do that. I feel like such a whore. I decided to take my mind off the train of thought I was currently on and decided to think about happier things, like the time I killed my mother. Yeah, _very_ happy thoughts.

When I was finally all clean, I stepped out of the shower and saw my towels were neatly folded on the floor. I dried off and put on my purple pajama shorts and a plain white tee shirt. I then brushed my hair and left the bathroom, walking through the doorway into the living room to see Jayden sitting on the couch.

Then it dawned on me: I haven't seen a single person, besides him of course, all 'morning'.

"Where is everybody?" I asked, looking around.

"We're the first ones up." He answered. "Nobody will be getting up for another half an hour."

I felt my eye twitch from anger. "You mean I could've slept a little longer?!" I hissed. Even after a shower like _that_ I'm still tired… and cranky.

"Sorry," he apologized, "I just want you to get used to this sleeping routine. This early in being a vampire, your sleeping schedule is off."

I wandered over to the couch and sat down and was disappointed to find that my back was still sore. I cringed when I was all the way in the seat, but after a few seconds the pain subsided. I leaned my head back and closed my eyes, hoping to rest them a bit but Jayden had other ideas.

"I hope you're not falling asleep." He said, nudging me in the side and making my back hurt again. "We need to keep watch over the house."

"But nobody's even up yet!" I growled.

"We are now." We heard another voice come from behind us. I turned around and saw a girl with long brown hair in a black tank top and black shorts with two white stripes down the side.

"Oh, sorry Michelle, did we wake you?" Jayden asked her.

"Surprisingly, no." She replied, turning around and walking away.

"By the way, who all have you met by now?" He asked.

Well, besides Yuki, Yuura, and Wallace, I met Teagan who helped me with my hair and makeup on my first night, and I saw Genevieve twice. The first time I saw her, she was in the bath with two guys…"

He smiled. "Oh, yeah, those two were probably Hansyn and Jasper."

"I see..."

"Well, that was Michelle. She's the newest in our group besides you, of course."

"I hope you're not talking about me." It was Michelle again; she returned from wherever it is she went off to earlier. I turned to her and nodded.

"Actually, I was." He said, looking back at her.

"Gee, thanks…" She replied.

"But it was all good things." He added.

"I heard what you said, and even though what you said wasn't of any importance, I still don't appreciate it." I could tell she was unhappy, so I decided to break it up.

"So, Jayden... um... what should we do while we're watching the place?" I asked, eyeing the entertainment center.

"Anything you want." He replied.

Oh," Michelle sighed, "you two are on guard duty?" She asked, approaching us.

The two of us nodded.

That sucks. Hey Jezebelle, are you good at cleaning?" She inquired.

"Um... yeah I guess..." Actually, I'm excellent at cleaning since Heather gave me cleaning duty 24/7.

"Great! Could you clean up my room? I hate organizing." She asked.

I was about to agree, but was interrupted by a low intimidating growl from Jayden.

"It was just a question." She said before turning on her heel and gliding out the room.

---

"And just remember, under no circumstances are you to let anyone in." Yuura reminded us before leaving the mansion.

"Actually, I'll be in charge of the door, as usual sir, so I wouldn't worry about it." Wallace insisted, practically pushing him out the door.

"I know, but I just-"

Don't worry yourself my dearest brother. Nothing bad will happen, I assure you." Yuki interrupted, reassuring his twin.

"Um, have a nice time tonight." I said to the Masters.

"Why thank you darling; we will." Yuki said, pushing his brother out and shutting the door behind him.

"So, Wallace," I began, "is there anything you want us to do like cleaning, dishes, laundry, cooking or …?"

He shook his head. "The only reason you two are here is because you'd be backup if anything bad where to happen." He told us. "Leave all the chores to me. Just go play your Ninetendo or whatever you do nowadays." He suggested turning and leaving to the dining room.

I just kind of stood there side by side with Jayden in the entrance hall with a total loss of ideas of what to do.

"Well, what now?" I finally asked my partner.

"Whatever you want."

"Well, I don't know what I want to do. I mean, we're stuck in the house all night…"

"Hmm…" he thought for a moment, "I bet you may have had days like this. Why don't you treat this as a… 'rainy day'? What did you used to do on rainy days?"

"Well, Stephen and I would go outside and play in the rain and go puddle jumping."

He gave an annoyed sigh. "Okay… how about an unpleasantly cold, rainy day? And, don't tell me you'd do the same thing, but with jackets…"

I laughed. "No, then he and I would just hang out, watch TV and probably play a board game or something, but I don't want to do any of that."

He walked in front of me and suddenly threw me over his shoulder, carrying me to the living room.

"Not funny! Put me down; my back still hurts!" I was hitting him in the back, trying to get him to put me down. With every thrust of my fist, I could feel the pain in my back increase.

We finally reached the couch and he flipped me onto it. I landed safely, but painfully.

He then sat next to me and leaned forward. "Maybe you should've taken a warm bath instead of a shower."

"Well... shut up. I don't trust the cleanliness of the bath, considering what I… witnessed…" I shuddered.

"Actually, the bath gets cleaned after every use; it's just the way Wallace is… he hates germs." He whispered the last part.

"Oh," I sighed, "that's a relief. Maybe I'll take one some other time."

Jayden nodded in agreement and we sat on the couch silently. I felt like this was a good time to ask questions, so I began with the basics.

"Jayden?" I asked.

"Hm?" He responded, not looking at me.

"How old are you?"

He didn't reply right away. He gave me a sideways look and raised an eyebrow. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, you know… it's just that… I don't know."

"Well, how old are you?"

"Much younger, I'm sure." I replied, afraid of telling him my age for fear of him being reminded that I'm still a child compared to him.

"And how old would that be?" He inquired.

"Want to guess?" I asked giving a sideways glance.

"Hmm… let's see: you're still a virgin, your mom looked pretty young and you didn't have a single tattoo, I'd guess you're about 21 or 22."

"Okay, first of all: not a virgin. Second of all: you're way off." I giggled

"Well, I'm constantly around people who age slower than humans, so my judgment of their age is a little off."

Then, he repeated himself after a moment of silence. "…So how old are you?"

I hesitated. "…I'll be 17 this September."

He sunk back into the couch and crossed his arms. "So you're 16?"

I nodded. "I bet you're thinking 'Oh, god, a little kid.' I get it, I think."

He shook his head. "No, but I bet you're thinking 'Eew, old geezer!' Thanks."

I laughed. "Well, not those words exactly." I joked. "But, it really doesn't matter because you don't look old. And, really you're young; in vampire years, that is."

He nodded. "But you're even younger."

"…Not the point." I sunk back into the couch, disappointed with what information I was- or was not- getting. I could tell he was getting bored; the awkward silence filling the air, I decided to inquire more about him.

"Jayden?"

"Jezebelle?" He raised an eyebrow, still staring at me.

I was quiet for a moment and thought this through before I finally spoke. "Do you wish you weren't a vampire?"

He sighed and spoke softly, like he was deep in thought. "Sometimes." He replied. "Sometimes not so much. I guess the benefits outweigh the cost."

I nodded accepting this answer.

"Sometimes… I want to die, but I know I can't. And, when I was human, I wanted to have children with someone, but that ability was taken away as well."

I was silent, and felt my heart race, thinking he meant he wanted kids with me, but I quickly let that go. I can't seriously mean that much to him already.

"But, in some cases, is all worth it."

"Some cases?" I asked, urging him to elaborate.

"Meaning, I'm glad I have an extended life, and I have the chance to travel and do things I wouldn't be able to do with a normal lifespan. That, and be millionaires using the ability to live long enough for banks to build up interest for you."

My mind began to wander toward the playstation, so I asked one last question before I'd suggest that activity. "How did you become a vampire?"

I saw his expression have a twitch of surprise, and he closed his eyes as he spoke quietly. "I did it to save someone."

"Someone you love?" I pried, but I realized it seemed to hurt him too much, so I retracted the question.

He sighed. "No, it's okay." He smiled at me, but I could still see the pain hidden behind it. "Yes, I risked my life to save the woman I loved."

I noticed how he put that in past tense, but I decided not to bring it up.

"But it was all in vain." He sighed.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be." He responded. "It was a long time ago; I've moved on."

"Moved on?"

"Yes," he put his hand on my chin and turned my face to him, "I did move on."

He then brought himself closer to me and kissed my forehead. I felt the slightest bit disappointed that it was just on the forehead, but I smiled at him, hoping he's buy it.

But he didn't.

Then, he came close to me again and gave me a deep kiss on the lips. I brought my hand up to touch his face, and I felt him get more into it; this time, he had no reservations.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The rest of the night went by pretty well. We finally stopped kissing on the couch when Wallace threatened us. Later, when mostly everyone was gone and there wasn't much else to talk about, I challenged Jayden to some Mortal Combat on PS2. I had always played this game with my boys and dominated every time, but Jayden… well… he was better. I guess it was all those years of mastery I couldn't match.

Later, Michelle, Hansyn, and the twins Teagan and Jasmine stayed behind, intrigued by the competition between my partner and me. We spent hours on various video games and consoles and I only beat him in three: DanceDanceRevolution: Ultra mix 3, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, and Rock Band 2- I dominated vocals. Other than that, my pride as a gamer girl was gone.

When everyone else returned at sunrise, I was sleepy, so I went to bed, leaving everyone else in their gamer glory.

"So early?" Jayden asked. "Don't want to challenge anyone else?"

"No." I said with a laugh. "You wore me out. I think I need some rest so I can face the night tomorrow."

He nodded in agreement and I left him to speak with Michelle who was on the border of begging to challenge him to some game.

I went upstairs and skipped changing clothes; I just plopped myself onto the bed and was out in an instant.

---

I was in a room. It was white with a single red rose petal on the ground below a small white table with a matching white chair. I approached the chair and took a seat, bending to pick up the petal. I examined it, smelled it, and even tasted it, just to see if it really was what I had thought. However, instead of a flowery, earthy taste, I got the taste of blood. I smelled it again, but it didn't smell the same way. I stared at it for a moment in confusion when suddenly, it got cold.

Even though everything was a pure white, I could see a mist appearing and hear the faint snapping sound of water freezing. Suddenly, the chair was unbearably cold, so I stood up and it shattered. I looked at the table and saw an empty crystal vase, but under closer inspection, I saw that it has water in it- frozen water.

Remembering I had something in my hand, I looked at the rose petal, but it wasn't a petal anymore; it was a warm, beating heart. I smelled it as well, but it didn't have the scent of normal blood; it smelled sweeter. Just then, I recognized the scent- it smelled just like Jayden.

Soon, the heart started beating slower and slower until finally… it stopped, developing frost as it cooled down. I dropped it and, upon hitting the floor, it shattered. I began running away, but all I could see was white. I continued running; even though I had a feeling I'd never found the end. I became overwhelmed with fear and frustration, and on the top of my lungs, I screamed.

"JAYDEN!" My voice echoed into the void, which gave me hope, considering the echo could only occur if there were walls to bounce off of.

I ran in a new direction, still never reaching a wall. I breathed and heard myself. I could tell the wall was right in front of me, even though I couldn't touch it. I gave up hope and fell to my knees, sobbing. "Jayden…"

_Yes?_ I heard his voice, but faintly.

"Jayden?"

_I'm right here_. His voice replied. _Wake up, and you'll see._

I finally opened my eyes and sat straight up, shivering and with tears on my face.

"Are you okay?" I heard Jayden ask from behind, which had startled me. I spun around and saw him, causing me to throw my arms around him. "What happened?" He asked, worry filling his voice.

I took a deep breath. "It was so bright. And the ice. So cold…" I shuddered. I knew it didn't sound so bad, but the memory terrified me.

"It was just a bad dream. It's all over now…" He said, comforting me.

We sat there for a while, holding each other with no plans on letting go. He rubbed my back gently as I removed my arms from around his neck and put my hands on his shoulders.

"Jezebelle?" He whispered after a few moments of silence.

"Hmm?" I groaned in response, having a difficult time fighting tears.

"If I left this place, what would you do?"

I opened my eyes and snapped backward, looking him in the eyes, tears filling mine in full force. "What do you mean 'leave this place'?" I questioned, having a replay of my dream, being stuck in a void with nobody to comfort me; only the scent of the one I love. "Where would you go?"

"It's just a question." He said with a look, questioning my emotional reaction.

"I… I'd probably…" I hesitated, then took a deep breath. "I would go insane." I admitted. "No, worse. I don't even want to think about it."

"Why?" He inquired, "Hate 'hide-and-seek'?"

"No." I insisted. "That's not it… exactly. Wait, what?" I was confused about the reference.

He raised an eyebrow at me. "What do you mean 'exactly'?"

My face grew redder as I knew the time to tell him that I'm I love with him has come. I wasn't sure if I was ready, and I wasn't very confident he felt the same. I mean, I knew he liked me a lot, but I didn't know if it was _love_ or just him looking for some _lovin'_. But, I decided that life would be better if he knew, so I swallowed, abandoning my fear. "I am… in love with you, Jayden." I was proud I spoke clearly, but I felt my inside cringe as I waited for his response which, by the way, took longer than the situation called for.

I looked him in the eyes and saw a new expression. It was different than the ones I've seen before, but it gave me hope.

"Jezebelle…" He whispered, loosening his grip on me.

"I know we haven't been together very long," I spoke quickly, rambling, "and any… _experiences_ we had, well, ended in disaster, but I can't help the way I feel. But if you don-"

He cut me off. He pulled my chin up so I was facing him and kissed me more passionately than he ever had. When he pulled away for a moment, he whispered, "'But if I don't'… what?"

I stared at him in stunned silence. This reaction was farthest from what I had anticipated, and that filled me with joy.

"Why doubt me?" He whispered, eyeballing me with those sexy, deep, slate-grey eyes.

I didn't know how to respond to that, so I just shrugged.

"I guess I'm just not that… _confident_ in the fact that another being could ever love me."

"Don't say that." He whispered. "_I_ love you, Jezebelle."

The words he spoke resounded in my mind, filling the empty spaces in my head and making me want to cry, but this time for a different reason.

"So… what about leaving?" I continued, finding my voice. "Why would you want to leave here?"

He was about to answer, but we were interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Come in." I croaked, swallowing a lump in my throat that had formed.

I watched as the door creaked open and Michelle entered. I couldn't see much, but when the pressure equalized itself, a slight breeze came through the doorway and I smelled saltwater. She'd been crying.

"Michelle?" Jayden asked, worried. "What are you doing?"

"Can I talk to you two for a moment?" Her voice was shaky and she seemed frightened.

I invited her over, scooting over so she could sit in my bed next to me. She ran over and jumped into my bed and started crying again. Her body was as shaky as her voice- if not more so- and I smelled a faint odor, showing me she had gotten sick. I put my arm on her shoulder and rubbed her back to comfort her.

"Tell us what's wrong." I whispered.

She looked up and took a deep, shaking breath and wiped a tear from her eyes. "They're dead."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"Kaydence and Jacen," Michelle's voice cracked, "they're both dead!"

I sat there for a moment, trying to put the names to faces. I didn't recognize Jacen, but Kaydence I knew right away. She was the small, quiet girl that always hung out around Genevieve. I looked to Jayden, whose face was pale and frozen in a questioning expression.

"Everyone's downstairs talking, trying to figure out what to do." Michelle said, sniffling. "First, it was Alexander, now Kaydence and Jacen." She looked me with her big, pleading eyes. "I'm scared!"

"Who did it?" I asked.

"Nobody knows." She buried her face into her hands. I leaned over and grabbed the box of tissues off the nightstand and offered her one. "Thanks…"

"Let's go downstairs." Jayden suggested, getting himself out of bed with a sigh. "I want to see what's going on."

"Good idea." I agreed. I got out of bed as well, leaving Michelle there to recover a little.

"You can stay here if you like." I offered. "We'll be back soon." She nodded in agreement and lay down, hugging a pillow.

Jayden and I crept downstairs, not to disturb anyone, but with how loud it was, our inconspicuousness was unnecessary.

"…How did they find her?!" A strong male voice demanded. "More importantly, how did you let them? She's you're partner, and you're supposed to protect her with your life."

"Will you quit being such a drama king, Kenneth?" It sounded like Genevieve. "Besides, she never liked me and we always split when we left to hunt.

"You what?" Yuki interjected.

By now, Jayden and I were standing in the doorway of the room adjacent to the dining room. Everyone was standing in a circle, and when Jayden coughed, everyone turned to the source and opened the circle to include us. Yuki turned back to Genevieve.

"What do you mean you two 'always split'?" Yuki's voice was coated in panic; I could tell this news was hard on him.

"Well, since we're strong enough on our own and we never really need each other-"

"You always need each other!" Jayden interjected in a strong, demanding voice that made me jump. "If anything, she needed you more tonight than she ever did before."

"Oh, shut up Frosty!" She snapped. "I don't want to hear _you_ of all people yelling at me for neglecting my partner, considering Alexander-"

"Leave him out of this!" Jayden defended, raising his voice some more. "You don't know what happened that night, so don't you pass judgment on me Miss Priss! I tried my _hardest_ to save his life and he gave his to save me! That's how it's supposed to work." His voice finally calmed down an octave. Then everyone turned to Yuki.

"From what I saw," Yuki said in a slow, quiet voice, "Alexander and Jayden did do everything right, but for the most part, my vision was blurry."

"Vision?" I asked myself, not meaning for that to be audible. "Was he there?" I looked to Jayden.

"No; I'll explain later." He whispered to me.

"Anyhow," Yuki continued, "there's no excuse for your lack of care in your partner-"

"But-" Genevieve interrupted.

"But…" his voice rose, then quieted again as he continued, "since it could've been helped, you shall be reprimanded, but since I'm sure it was the same thing that took our dear Alexander from us, you will not be killed. Instead, you will now be with Jasper, since he too is without a partner."

Genevieve's eyes snuck a glance to Jasper who gave a slight, secretive smile at her. She grinned back at him, and then turned her attention to Yuura. I found this unspoken exchange very suspicious. I made a note to myself to keep an eye on those two.

"Since it's getting late," he continued, "I think we should all go off to bed. It has been a stressful night for all of us and we need our rest. We will perform the union ceremonies on the eve of the next full moon after everyone's come home- alive preferably."

After Yuura had given the signal, everyone dispersed, leaving me standing there, confused in the doorway with Jayden looking at me with fearful eyes.

"Jayden," I said, voice beginning to shake from fear, "I'm scared… and confused, and I don't like what's happening!" I found myself crying again in his arms.

"It's going to be alright." He assured me. "I won't let anything happen to you. We'll handle this. Come on."

We walked back upstairs and I went straight to bed. Jayden followed me and I was happy to have him there. When we got to our room, Michelle was still there and still awake, crying a little. She sat up as we walked in and got out of the bed.

"I'm going to go to sleep." She told us, carrying my tissue box. "I'll bring you a new one later."

"It's no problem." I told her. "Sleep well. If you need anything, you know where my room is."

She nodded then walked out.

I turned to Jayden, but before I could say anything, he had his arms around me. "I don't care what happens- you'll be fine, no matter what."

I took in this information and became worried at what he might mean by that. "Jayden, I-"

"I just want you to know… I would give my life for you if knew you could go on."

I felt my face get warm, not from blushing, but from anger, so I pushed him away. "Don't say that!" I saw he was taken back and I probably hurt his feelings, so I tried to explain myself. "Okay, so you would've saved my life- then what? Where would that leave me? Alone, that's where!" I paused for a moment, feeling the tears form. "If you're going to risk your life to save me, you damn well better try to find a way that you'd live, too."

"Jezebelle, I-"

I shook my head and cried some more. I felt him hug me to his body; I tried to pull myself away, but I gave up shortly after. We just stood there; me crying in his arms, him standing there taking it.

After a few minutes, he led me to the bed and we lay there together. I began feeling mildly better and I had stopped crying. I began going over tonight's incidents in my mind when I remembered something that made the least sense of all.

"What did Genevieve mean when she called you 'Frosty'?" I asked, not moving.

He took a big sigh. "She was referring to my power."

_Power?_ I thought to myself.

"We all have a power of some sort." He said. "Well… most of us at least."

"'Most of us'?" I repeated.

"Yeah, some aren't gifted, but more often than not someone has one."

"Really? Do you think I might have one?"

"I know you do." He said, stroking my cheek. "We've just got to find out what it is."

I eyed him, looking to see if he was just trying to make me feel better. "How can you tell?"

"Because… I just know."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Okay then…" I rested my head back down and he rested his lips on the top of my head. "Who here has powers?" I decided to ask, even though it really was none of my business.

"Everyone." He whispered. I felt his warm breath on my head and it gave me goose bumps. "Well, everyone as of now."

"What's your power?"

I felt his mouth pull up in a smile. "I'll show you."

I rolled over onto my back as he got himself situated next to me. He held out his hand for a moment, then told me to place my palm onto his. I did, but pulled back right away. His hand was so cold; it was like putting my hand on the inside of a freezer.

"What the heck…?" I whispered.

"'Frosty', remember?" He said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"So… you can super-freeze things…?"

He nodded. "If you hadn't noticed, my body is just a few degrees cooler than everybody else ever is."

I actually hadn't noticed, but I nodded anyway. We were quiet for a little bit, and I wanted to ask something, but he must've read my mind because he began to answer before I could ask.

"And when Yuki said his vision was blurry, that doesn't mean he was there. He's psychic. He saw the attack on me and Alexander, and that of Jacen and Kaydence… but they didn't come in time and they were vague. Usually they're crystal clear, but…" He trailed off.

"But?"

He sighed. "Nothing; it's just a bad occurrence. Maybe the attacker has a special power that repels Yuki's ability to see him or something."

I nodded.

"Anyways, Yuura doesn't have a power that I know about, but Genevieve is a manipulator."

"Manipulator. Sounds like something a woman _would _have." I realized that sounded very feminist, but it still made sense.

He laughed. "Yeah… wait…" He looked at me with a puzzled expression.

"Never mind; go on."

He took a deep breath. "Okay… well, Michelle… why don't you ask her; it's pretty cool. But, Jasper is the one you have to look out for. He's a shape shifter. He could be anything from a candlestick to a cloud- he could even impersonate any one of us."

"Oh really?" I began. "In which case, how do I know you're the real you?"

He smiled a sexy little smirk. "He doesn't have the same memories as I do."

I blushed and nodded as he continued.

"Now Jasmine… her power is really cool. She can make perfect carbon copies of herself."

"Copies? Like, make a twin, er… wait…" I had just remembered... she already is a twin...

"_Teagan_ has the power to be able to do something perfectly, even if she just sees it in action once, so we know she's not just some copy. But yes, Jasmine is a little confusing."

I closed my eyes and shook my head, trying to let all the confusion go away.

"Oh, and if you ever get injured, see Kenneth. He's a healer and is basically our doctor. He's quiet and seems intimidating, but he's really a nice guy."

"I see…" I said yawning. "I know there's more, but I'm really tired."

He nodded. "Then go to sleep." He then kissed my forehead. "We'll talk some other time."

I nodded and began to doze off, mulling over tonight, trying to make sense for myself.

Never gonna happen.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"You look amazing, Miss Jezebelle." Yuki said as Jayden and I left the mansion.

"Thank you very much, Yuki." I replied. "Although I kind of think it's a little revealing…" I looked down at the one piece dress I had on. I remembered when I looked in the mirror I thought it looked like a black salsa dress. I even had on matching black shoes and a black rose in my hair and my cleavage- well… I had no idea….

"Oh, not at all," he insisted, "it's perfect."

I nodded, but not in agreement. I've never dared to try to get in touch with my feminine side to this degree. I suppose I'll have to deal with it, seeing as I am now the 'sexiest creature on the planet' as Jayden so affectionately puts it.

We left the building and as we walked out into the setting sun, I noticed some figures by the tree. I thought it was just one of us, so I ignored them. As we got closer, I couldn't help but notice I was right; it was Michelle and her partner, Hansyn.

"Oh, hey…"

"So Jayden, do you have the tickets?" Michelle asked my partner, eyeballing him.

"Of course I do, Mitch." He said, pulling out slips of paper from his pocket and handing them to her. "Settle down."

She snatched them from him and squealed a happy, girlish squeal. "I'm so excited! And, we've been over this: don't call me Mitch."

"Whatever." Jayden whispered. "Let's just get going; it starts in 20 minutes." We all began walking to the road.

"What does?" I asked. I wasn't told of any plans; I was kind of looking forward to going to the club, hoping to run into Tanya again.

"It's a surprise." Jayden whispered, hugging me close to him.

"But you'll love it!" Michelle assured me. "Yuki told us it's your favorite- Ouch!"

Jayden had kicked her in the rear end, silencing her. "You'll spoil it!" He hissed.

"Are you sure there aren't any more tickets?" Hansyn asked. I was taken back by how kind his voice was. I just realized I never actually heard him speak until now. "No offence, but I'd rather see this with…" he hesitated for a moment, "…not you."

"Hansyn," Michelle sighed, "you promised you wouldn't be like this."

"I promised I wouldn't hurt anyone. You said nothing about me being nice."

I decided to stop this; I was getting fidgety, since I had no idea what this night had in store, and I hate surprises. "Let's just go. I'm sure it's not as bad as you make it out to be."

Hansyn stared at me, and gave a slight grin. "We'll see."

"Come on." Jayden interjected. "We need to get there _now_."

We all picked up our pace, almost running. Michelle began talking about the deaths that had recently occurred and how worried she was that she could be next.

"I wouldn't worry too much, Shelly." Hansyn sighed. "I have a feeling you won't be a target."

"But how can you be so sure?" She asked. "Aren't they picking off the weaker ones?"

"First of all," Jayden began, "if that was the case, Alexander never would've been a victim; he was one of the strongest."

"I guess…" Michelle trailed off.

"Second," Hansyn continueded, "you're not weak. You have one of the greatest gifts of us all."

"Well…" I could see her blush at the complement.

"Wait…" Jayden stopped abruptly, confusing everyone and making us all stop in our tracks. "Who was murdered so far?"

"Um…" Michelle thought back, "Alexander … Jacen and Kaydence, right?"

"So?" Hansyn asked.

"So… what powers did they have?"

I saw Hansyn's face get hard and a little upset. Michelle stood next to him and tried to think. "Did they have powers at all?"

Jayden shook his head. "That's right, they didn't." He stared at all of us, giving us a chance to think.

I looked at Michelle and I could see the pieces come together for her. "Do you… _do_ you think they're targeting the weaker ones, as in those without special abilities?"

Jayden nodded. "If I'm right, nobody else has to worry about death. Nobody except…" All three of them looked at me and panic crossed Michelle and Jayden's faces.

"Oh dear…" Hansyn sighed, "if that's the case, I think we need to get going. The play starts soon, and if we're inside I'm sure there'll be no danger, right?"

I nodded quickly in agreement and we all ran off to the Performing Arts Center.

When we arrived, we cut it close. The ushers pointed us to the right place and we found our section- front row in the balcony- and took our seats just as the lights dimmed. By now, I still had no idea what we were here to see, but I knew right away as my heart began to race when I saw familiar characters walk around on stage. The first actor had a scarf and glasses and carried around an old video camera. After I realized we were here to see _Rent_, Jayden reached over and wiped a tear away that I didn't know I had.

"I take it you're happy?" He smiled.

I felt more tears well in my eyes. "Happy? Oh Jayden, I love it."

He nodded. "Good_._" He put his arm around me and we turned our attention back to the stage.

---

Roughly an hour or so went by and the intermission came all too soon. The acting was phenomenal and the singing was even better. I wished I could've been up there myself during _The Tango: Maureen_ because Stephen and I did that at our school's talent show last month, giving us the first place trophy. But, the two who played Mark and Joanne could've stomped our version to the ground.

"Rent is_ sooo_ good!" Michelle gushed before getting a drink of water from the drinking fountain. "My favorite is Angel…" She sighed, seemingly a little depressed, since in the last scene we saw… well…

"I'm partial to Joanne." Hansyn said, standing against the wall with his arms crossed. "She's professional and has a good grasp on her life, yet she's sexy in her own right."

"I agree," I replied, "she's my favorite, too."

"No, Roger is the best." Jayden said. "He's a reformed bad boy and is responsible and not giving into temptation. He obviously cares deeply for Mimi."

I gave him a side, puzzled glance and he looked back at me, but looked away quickly. Michelle began giggling as the lights flashed, signaling two minutes until the intermission is over. We quickly ran to the auditorium and promptly took our seats.

"Have you seen this before?" Michelle asked. "I mean, have you seen it live?"

"No." I replied. "And I'm having a great time."

"Better than the movie?"

"_Way_ better than the movie." I giggled.

"Goodie." She clapped her hands together and sat back. The way she was acting and such made me think she was hiding something, so I kept staring at her. "Stare at me all you want; I won't break my promise."

_Promise?_ I asked myself. _What's going on?_ I began worrying as the lights dimmed and the play continued. The scene opened to a line of the characters singing _Seasons of Love_. That's when I couldn't help but wonder if my funeral would be as beautiful as that. And the only reason I thought about the possibility of me dying was because I have no special powers that I know of, and that makes me a target. I just started a new life and I don't want to die again. I felt myself tear up again, and Michelle took my hand in hers.

"Angel is now as her name suggests." She whispered. I could tell she was crying as well.

I nodded. "It's better than being alive at this point."

---

The play was over and as the lights brightened, the audience applauded. I did as well, but I think I was more enthusiastic, earning me a look of worry from Hansyn. He shook his head and furrowed his eyebrows.

"Oh, like you didn't love it." I said, defending myself.

"Seen it."

I snarled my teeth at him.

"Okay, okay, let's get going." Michelle said, gently pushing me to the aisle. "I'm starving."

I hadn't realized until she said that that I, too, was hungry and needed something _now_. We all headed out through the doors and out to the sidewalk when I felt someone grab my arm and pull me back. I spun around and froze in my tracks. Standing before me was a tall, skinny boy with spiky brown hair and jade eyes. His usual tan skin was now a little paler and he seemed to have worry permanently imprinted on his face.

"Stephen…" I gasped once I found my voice.

"Tobie, I thought it was you." His voice was shaky and he quickly wrapped his arms around me.

I felt myself begin to cry again, so I quickly pulled myself from his grasp. "I'm sorry, you must be mistaken." It tore me to shreds on the inside saying that, but I knew it was the right thing.

"No, Tobie, it's definitely you." He insisted. "I think I can recognize my best friend.

"No," Jayden interrupted in a strong, demanding voice, "you have the wrong person. Come on, Jezebelle."

"Jezebelle?" My human best friend laughed. "You hate that name- or at least, you did. What's happened to you?" Instead of answering, I turned and walked away, but he persisted and followed us outside. "Tobie, please tell me what's going on!"

Hansyn then grabbed him and pushed him against the wall of the alley we were next to. As this happened, I heard a worried gasp. I looked over and saw Kayle, whom I hadn't noticed until now.

"You've been told that you have the wrong person, so go home before you get hurt." Hansyn hissed.

"But Tobie-" Stephen was cut off by Hansyn punching him in the gut.

I saw Kayle try to run to his lover, but was stopped in his tracks by Jayden. That's when I couldn't take it anymore and I felt myself lose control.

"Everyone _stop it_!" I screamed. As I said that, there was a loud crash of thunder and I kept my eyes shut tight from anger. "Hansyn, let him go. You too Jayden." I gradually opened my eyes as I spoke. "Stephen, just go home and take Kayle with you. Hansyn, Jayden, and Michelle, we need to go home, _now_."

The guys let everyone go and my Vampire friends stood behind me as Kayle ran to the hunched over Stephen who looked at me with sad eyes. "Tobie…"

I held up my hand to silence him. "My name is Jezebelle. Tobie died recently and I'm sorry our resemblance confuses you. Please, for the good of everyone here, go home and don't ever try to find this Tobie." I felt a huge, painful lump in my throat, so I choked it back. "Good bye, Stephen." I turned around and walked away with the three following me and leaving my human friends behind.

---

The walk home was longer than I thought. I didn't feel like feeding tonight, but Michelle and Hansyn separated from us to get their fill, promising not to touch the humans I once had relations with. Unfortunately for Jayden, he was too stubborn to leave my side, so he decided to starve along with me instead of joining the other two. I hadn't spoken one word since the run-in, and I didn't even make eye contact with anyone as we arrived back at the mansion.

"Jezebelle, dearest?" I heard Yuki say, but I ignored him and went past everyone, going straight to my room and locking my door. I plowed myself right into the bed and lay there on my back, not moving, not thinking, and not even crying. I didn't feel a thing, that is, except for the presence of someone on the other side of my locked door.

"I don't want to talk right now, Jayden." I spoke with a voice that was surprisingly groggy, but loud enough for him to hear me.

"Jezebelle," he began, "I'm sorry tonight wound up like this. I just wanted to take you to see your favorite musical. I didn't mean-"

"Just let it go." I cut him off. "I want to be left alone."

Suddenly, I heard a sharp tightening sound- like water freezing- and suddenly, something shattered. I shot straight up and looked to the door; Jayden had super-froze the doorknob and broke it, letting himself in.

"Let it go?" He demanded. "I saw the look on your face. I can't let something that caused you that much sadness go just like that." He walked over and sat next to me on the side of the bed and sighed. "You know, this night was supposed to have a different outcome. You were supposed to be happy, not… like this."

"Jayden, I don't want you to think I'm ungrateful for the show, because I loved it, and I couldn't have ever imagined an even better surprise than that, and I _am_ grateful, but…"

"Shh…" he put his finger to my lips, "I know. Nobody wanted that, and I am sorry. Let's just try to put this behind us and move on. Nobody got seriously hurt, and all of us can live to see another day, or night in our case."

I nodded and gave him a small but sincere smile, and that made him smile in return. "See? Everyone and everything's ok. No need to worry."

I sighed. "Alright. I suppose I'll try. Just, can you promise the two humans from earlier won't be harmed?"

"As long as they're not horrible people, they'll be fine."

"They're not." I yawned and looked at the clock. It's only 2 AM but I felt tired; must be from all the crying.

"Do you want to go downstairs and ask Wallace to bring us something from the basement?" He suggested. "I'm sure you don't want to go out, but we have some blood in storage if you want."

"No. I don't think I can eat right now."

"It's been a while and you need to eat. Please…"

"No. I don't want anything to eat. Just leave me alone. I'm surprisingly tired."

"That's because you're hungry." He insisted. "You'll feel _much_ better if we went hunting." I gave a low growl at him… but it wasn't from my throat… damn stomach gave me away… "See? Come on; let's go out the window."

"Why not the door?" I was confused.

"Well…" he began, "when you walked in, you upset the others, and I'm sure you don't want to be bothered right now."

I realized he was right, so I slowly slid out of bed with him and we walked to the window.

"This is ridiculous…" I said, leaning on the windowsill.

"Don't worry about it. If you want, I'll go first." He suggested, pushing me out of the way. "A normal human _could_ get hurt if they weren't careful jumping out a two story window, but us vampires can jump from a plane with no parachute and be perfectly fine." Before I could respond, he had jumped and landed gracefully next to the garden I didn't know was there. "It's fine. I could catch you if you'd like."

"No, just back up a little." He complied and took a few steps away. I sat on the windowsill and swung my legs over the edge. Then, my nerves kicked in. Last time I jumped from my room at Heather's house, I broke my leg. So, I tried to put that memory behind, took a deep breath, and didn't jump.

"Jezebelle…"

"Shut up!" I hissed. I decided a new approach: I stood up on the sill, giving me nothing to hold on to, giving me no opportunity to stop myself. I bent my legs and jumped. The wind going through my hair and the adrenaline rushing through my body was the greatest experience. Well second greatest. Then, when the ground came closer and I landed without so much as a faint _thump_. As soon as I hit the grass, we were off into the night.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"Would you care to explain what went on this evening?" Yuura asked as Jayden and I got back from hunting. "I must say, I am very disappointed and slightly embarrassed by you Jezebelle."

I was taken back by the fact he was _embarrassed_. Perhaps my attitude was a little much before…

"Well?" He repeated himself, raising his voice.

"Brother, I'm sure there's no reason to fret." Yuki stepped in. "Everyone has one of those nights, as I'm sure that's all it was, right Jezebelle?" He looked at me and nodded slightly.

"Um… yes; yes it was." I lied. Unless 'one of those nights' usually includes you're best friend being assaulted by your vampiric brethren, then yes, that _is_ what happened. "And I am truly sorry for making you feel the way you did. I promise it'll never happen again." I bowed.

"Well, yes; you're right. It _won't_." Yuura's voice had a hint of darkness to it and a chill went down my spine.

"Well, now that that has been settled, why don't you two retire to your quarters? You must be tired from all the stress and nerves, right?" Yuki said to Jayden and myself, smiling a sweet smile, and I agreed with him.

Jayden and I went back upstairs, my head hung low. I felt bad for being rude to the Masters, even though I'm not entirely sure what I had done. I thought Jayden would finally sleep in his own room today- I was actually kind of counting on it- but he followed me all the way to the door.

"Jayden, I kind of just want-"

"To be alone?" He interrupted. "I understand. But tonight was a stressful night for you-"

"And you were the cause of some of it," I interrupted right back, "so some space from you right now is necessary, no?" I raised an eyebrow.

I saw his face turn somber and he nodded. "…fine. I guess, since… good night, Jezebelle." He took my hand and kissed it gently with his cool lips. I had originally been warm due to anger, but his touched soothed me quickly.

"Night." I replied, shutting the door that didn't latch...

"I'll fix that." He grumbled.

"You better." I laughed. "Otherwise, I'll have to hurt you."

"Promise?"

"Good _night_, Jayden." I repeated.

---

I woke up the next evening to the sound of heavy breathing- on the verge of snoring- that didn't belong to me. Nor did it belong to Jayden; the depth sounded too... female. I rolled over and discovered the source was Michelle. Suddenly I remembered she came in late that nigh and I let her stay with me, what with the killing scare and whatnot.

I didn't want to wake the sleeping beauty, so I carefully slid out of bed and grabbed a change of clothes and snuck down to the showers. When I entered the bathroom, I noticed steam and heard feet patter on the wet marble floor. Before I could announce my presence, the person had walked out and just stood there, staring at me.

"J-Jayden?" I felt my face turn bright red and I spun around at the sight of his naked body. I had seen him before in his boxers, but thats about it.

"Jezebelle? Oh, sorry." He apologized. "You can turn around now."

I cautiously turned back and was relieved to see him with a towel wrapped around his waist. "Sorry, I d-didn't know anyone was..."

He shook his head. "It's alright. I'm finished now, so go ahead."

I quickly ran past him and into the shower where he couldn't see me blush and laugh silently. But, after collecting myself, I tossed my clothes out the glass door and ran naked to the shower head. Again, I was greeted with the perfect temperature, the perfect pressure, the perfect shower.

I was in mid-lather with the shampoo when someone knock on the shower's doors. "Occupado." I replied.

"Yeah, I know, I just really _really_ need a shower." I hadn't recognized the voice. But it sounded like a woman, so that narrowed it down to Jasmine or Gwendolyn.

"Oh, I'll be out in a minute." Suddenly, the door opened and in came Genevieve. Maybe the sound of the shower distorted her voice. "Wait..."

She sighed. "There's more than one faucet, princess." She taunted. "Here, we share."

"Oh..." I replied, suddenly feeling like I had the body of a ten year old boy compared to her. I felt ashamed to be standing naked next to someone so... well, I'm just going to say that she has curves in places most women don't even have places.

"We just knock as courtesy to warn you someone else is coming in." She pointed out in a much less sarcastic way. "So, how is life?" She asked.

"It's um... it's complicated." I sighed.

"Life is always complicated." She assured me, scrubbing her chest with a hot pink body scrubby. "But that's what makes it fun."

"Oh, haha..." I gave a shy laugh. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Of course I am." She laughed.

Suddenly, I saw this as an opportunity, seeing as how I assigned myself the duty on keeping tabs on her and Jasper. "So, Genevieve," I began, "I'm sorry about Kaydence. It must be difficult losing your partner."

She laughed. "No, it's really not." I was taken back by her attitude toward this; she seemed so carefree. "She was just here to take up space, I suppose. I mean, she was useless in every other way."

"How so?"

"Well, she has- er, _had_- no special powers." She spoke in a way she would about something like slime or junk; things that are gross and in the way. "She was weak, she couldn't think for herself, and she wouldn't leave me the hell alone."

"Don't you hate that?" I replied, trying to appear on her side to keep her talking.

"Right?" She sighed. "Honestly, it's a big relief having someone like Jasper with me. He's so strong; it's like he and I were supposed to be partnered in the first place.

"But, even so, Kaydence was in a sense, your responsibility."

"Yeah, but that's the thing;a partner is not supposed to be someone you have to babysit. And, she could never hope to try to defend me, so why should I go out on a limb for something like that?"

_Some_thing_? _I asked myself. _What, was she not a some_one_?_

"Now, I have a chance of seeing another century and then some." She continued. "Not to mention, Jasper is great in bed. Kaydence couldn't fuck her way out of a paper bag."

That last bit caught me off guard. "Wait... how would you know that?"

She grinned. "You can just tell with some people."

I realized I was finished with my shower, so I excused myself. "Later, Gwendolyn."

"Bye, Jezebelle. We should talk again sometime."

"Absolutely." _Yeah, you say that because all you talk about is yourself._ I continued to myself. I got out and dried off with a towel that was neatly folded, sitting next to my folded clothes. Wallace must've been here. I should really get him an 'I Appreciate You' gift; I certainly hope he gets enough credit where it is due.

"Oh, and Jezebelle?" Genevieve interrupted my train of thought. "Could you go get me a glass of wine?"

"Uh... sure?"

"Actually, get me the whole bottle and three glasses. Oh, and if you could take them to my room, that would be great."

I raised an eyebrow at my 'orders'. "Yes, your majesty." I replied, leaving the bathroom fully clothed.

"You're a doll." She thanked me just before I shut the door.

"Jeeze, she's so greedy."

"Who is?" I was startled by the unexpected voice of Wallace.

"Oh, uh, nobody." I lied. "Just... talking to myself."

"Really?" He asked, seemingly uninterested. "I thought you were talking about Genevieve."

"Oh... well I-"

"Anyways, don't worry about the wine; I'll take care of it." He assured me.

"Oh, okay." I replied, even though I had no intention of doing her that favor in the first place. "Thank you."

"No thanks necessary." He replied, going off to the kitchen. "Its my job."

_Now I'm definitely getting him something nice._

_---_

"Animals?" I questioned Jayden as we hid behind a barn overlooking a herd of elk. "But... but that's making the farmer loose profits."

"Oh, shush." He replied. "Not this farmer. He can't afford to keep them and can't find anyone to sell them to, so he's intentionally starving them. We're doing him a favor."

I gasped. "How could someone be that heartless?"

"It's a gift."

I snorted. "A gift."

"Now be quiet. I'm going after the bigger one. You take on that baby over there."

"Fuck you!" I hissed. "I'm not gonna kill a baby!"

"But I don't know how you can handle a horned beast."

"Well a baby isn't much of a challenge; test me with something bigger!"

He sighed. "Fine, you take that one," he pointed to a middle sized female, "I'll take the herd leader."

"That's better." I nodded. "Um... you go first."

"Fine." He replied, taking off to the beast. He was too fast for the creature to even react; he went straight to the throat.

I finally smelled the blood almost right away and suddenly realized just how hungry I really was. So, I locked onto my target and bolted. Unfortunately, I wasn't so quick. The Elk let out a loud cry, but when I finally found the vocal chords, I ripped them out. I was going to gag, but I just kept reminding myself: feed now, freak later. I tasted the blood and, to be perfectly honest, it didn't taste too different from a human's. Sure it had a certain quality about it, but still not significant. The only thing I didn't like was the short, dirty fur that rubbed on my tongue. Sick.

"Who goes there?!" I heard an elderly man's voice boom out the back porch. It was too dark to see us, but he'd catch on eventually. Suddenly there was a loud _bang_ and some dirt scattered in the air; he had shot at us.

"Time to go." Jayden said quickly as he grabbed my arm. I dropped the corpse and we bolted.

"I can't believe I ate an Elk." I complained as we entered the woods. "I mean, it was good, but... and _Elk_?!"

"You'll get used to it." He assured me. "We just do this so we don't totally rely on humans. Then we'd be true monsters."

When he said 'monsters', I felt my gut wretch. I hadn't thought about it much, but technically, that's what we are. Most stories or movies out there portray us as mindless, blood-sucking beasts with no moral center. We're ugly, have sharp claws, and feed off any human that looks appetizing. I suddenly wanted to scream out to the world that we are not monsters. Humans are just jealous.

"Are you okay?" Jayden asked. We finally stopped running and we were by a huge tree deep in the woods. I think the Blair Witch lives here... "You were growling."

"I was?" I hadn't realized I was doing that. Suppose I was too deep in thought to notice.

"Yes. Did I say something?"

"Oh, no." I kind of lied, but not really. "It's not you. I guess I just got spooked. I'd never been shot at before."

He laughed. "You'll get used to that, too."

"Yeah..." I replied. Then, to avoid an awkward silence, I scrambled my brain for something to talk about. Suddenly, I remembered what had happened today in the showers with Genevieve. Unfortunately, I also remembered what happened before... with Jayden... all naked like... But, I pushed that... thought aside and moved on to something more important. "When you get partnered up with your... partner, you have a strong connection with them, right?"

"Yes...?" He nodded.

"So, has there ever been a partnership that wasn't so... you know, strong? Like, have a pair ever resented each other?"

He thought for a moment, and I think he saw where I was going with this. "Genevieve and Kaydence never went through the ceremony."

"Oh?"

"They agreed to be partners, but wanted to wait until a specific time to go through with the ceremony, you know, to make it special."

"And when would that be?"

"Under the sign of Aquarius in the year of the tiger with the element of fire on a full moon at 3:00 AM- the demonic hour."

I shook my head, confused. "What?"

"I know, it's weird. But for some reason, Masters Yuki and Yuura agreed to it."

"I wonder why." I whispered to myself.

"Me too," he agreed, "I don't understand why they wanted it to be so special. I mean, Kaydence treated Genevieve like a goddess, but Kaydence was treated like some kind of slave/secretary."

"I sort of noticed that." I replied. "Oh, also, when I was in the shower, Genevieve came in later and we had a talk."

"A talk? What about?" He asked, genuinely interested.

"About how she's glad she's with Jasper and how weak her original partner was."

"Makes sense." Jayden nodded. "Those two are always together."

Then, another thought came to mind. "Wait, didn't Jasper lose his partner on the same night?"

Jayden nodded. "He did."

Suddenly, I felt the two ends of exposed wires touch in my mind. "Do you think..." I continued in a whisper, "do you think they did it?"

He was silent, mulling over the facts in his mind. Maybe he didn't want to accept it, or maybe he just didn't want to say it, but his expression said it all; he agreed with me.

"But, Yuki couldn't see it- in his visions, I mean." I pointed out, referring to the attacks. "Maybe they have something that causes this weakness?"

Jayden shook his head, but not in disagreement. "But what would that be?" He asked. "Yuki and Yuura don't talk about his power much. All we know is the ability itself, not the specifics. I think it's for safety's sake."

"Yeah... or, maybe someone knows his weakness. Either by a previous... battle, or someone he used to trust; an old friend, maybe?"

"Let's stop talking about this now." Jayden suggested. "We shouldn't go any further in this without Michelle."

"Oh, okay." I agreed. I'm glad he said that; I was getting a little worry-sick. I sighed and threw my head back. When I opened my eyes, I saw the most beautiful starry landscape. I had never seen anything like it, especially in the city.

"Jezebelle?"

"Jayden, look at the stars." I sighed. "It's so... so..."

"Beautiful?" He suggested.

"Yes, they're beautiful."

"Yeah, the stars." He sounded remorseful.

"Oh, stop it." I laughed. "But seriously."

"I was being serious."

I broke my neck-cricking stare at the sky and looked back at him. He was staring intently at me with eyes that looked sorrowful, but seemed full of want and seduction. "Jayden?"

"Shh..." he quieted me as he held me close in his arms and kissed the top of my head. "Can we just... stay right here? Just, take in the moment?"

"Yeah." I whispered, closing my eyes. "Can we sit down, though?"

He didn't reply, but he released me from his embrace and we lay down in the grass next to each other with my head resting on his chest. He ran his fingers through my hair and rubbed gently on the temples. I'd never been touched like that before and it felt so relaxing. It was like all the stresses in the world didn't exist and there were no other beings besides us.

"Jezebelle?" He said in a deep, seductive whisper.

"Jayden?"

"I love you."

I rolled my head over and looked at him. "I know. I love you too." I whispered. _I love you more than you'll ever know_ I thought to myself. I didn't want to say it out loud for... personal reasons.

He lay his hand on the side of my face and we just stared at each other. I was perfectly content laying here in this moment; but for every second we lay there, I could bear it less an less. Suddenly, with no prompting from my mind, my body sat upright, and at the same moment, he did as well. Our lips met, beginning a kiss that took all reason from my mind. The kiss got deeper and deeper, but suddenly, he stopped.

"Jayden?" I said, out of breath.

"I can't." He said, turning away to get up, but I grabbed the collar of his jacket. I heard some fabric rip a little, but I don't think he noticed or even cared.

"Why not?"

"I can't because you're not-"

"Ready?" I interrupted, losing my patience. "I am. I know I am and I want you- with every fiber of my being I want you, but sometimes I wonder about _you_. Not that I doubt your love, I just feel like... like there's something stopping you. Something other than me."

He was silent for a moment. We sat staring each other down and I searched his eyes for any kind of guilt or any pre-lying. However neither ever came.

"Please don't tell me there's someone else." I instantly regretted saying that. I felt myself tearing my center apart for even _suggesting_ he'd do something like that.

"Jezebelle. You are the only one, and the only thing thats stopping me is my good sense. I'm not going to ruin your purity."

"Pure..." I scoffed. "Jayden, I've told you this before-"

"That was from when you were human." He interrupted. "When you change, all your body systems reset themselves, including that of the reproductive organs. Your... _virginity_ was restored."

I felt my jaw drop. "My what?!" I was supremely pissed. i went through all that trouble of getting myself... _ready_ enough for someone to... _enter_ me without hurting me, and now I have to do that all over again?! This. Is. _Bullshit_.

"When you change, all broken bones you may have had; it's like it never happened. And any scars you had are extinct. It's almost exactly like being reborn, sans the whole fetal size and growth development part."

I listened, but remembered the cut I got from the ceremony. Looking at my palm, I saw the scar that was almost completely healed- meaning it was still there.

"Let me rephrase that- all scars except that of the one inflicted, causing you to change go away."

"Why?"

"It's a sort of reminder. A reminder of who you are. You remember that scar on my torso?"

"Yeah?"

"That happened because I was attacked by feral vampires. That's the location they chose to feed off of me. Then, they closed me up and it stayed."

I found us sitting there, not making eye contact. That's when I realized I wanted to give up on even attempting to ever have sex again. I mean, the only other time was with Stephen when we wanted to make absolutely certain he was gay. He certainly was and it certainly broke my heart. I didn't want to drag this on any longer, so I got up and started walking off.

"Where are you going?" He called after me.

"Back to the mansion." I replied. "I'm too tired for this shit."

"Umm..."

"What?" I spun around and saw him pointing in the other direction.

"The mansion is that way."

---

"Elk?" Michelle giggled. "You don't eat elk. If you want to go vegan, you should eat horse. Or better yet, chickens. Fur is gross. But if you want to play with your meal first, go with bears or cougars."

"You just said fur is gross." I pointed out.

"Yeah, but mostly in farm animals. Wild critters have less of a nasty gritty taste in their fur."

"I guess..."

Michelle and I had a talk about what was going on with the killings and the suspicions I have. She's agreed with me so far, saying there really is no other explanation; at least, not one we could think of. I found it to be a good idea to go straight to her, seeing as how I kind of want to not be around Jayden right now. Maybe when he starts seeing me as, well, not a child, then I can be more comfortable with him. But right now, space is necessary.

"...and Jacen. Now he was a real prick. But kill him? No, he doesn't deserve that." Michelle continued.

"Agreed." I replied, even though I kind of wasn't paying attention. "I mean, I didn't know him, but I'm sure that killing him wasn't necessary."

"I know. Maybe a good kick in the face would be enough, but not ending his life."

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door; it was Wallace. "Madame Jezebelle, you have a guest."

"Ugh..." I sighed, "could you please tell Jayden that I don't want to talk to him right now?"

"Yes, milady, but he is not your guest."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "Well then who is it?"

"She calls herself Sondra and claims to be your sister."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"Tobie!" My younger sister squealed. "You're here, you're really here!"

I looked at Yuki who was standing in the entryway next to Sondra and flashed me a sincere smile.

"Sondra, how did you find me?" I asked.

"Oh, I thought you would've been at Stephen's house, but he said you weren't there, so his buddy-pal-friend-of-his told me where you went. Oh Tobie, I just had to see you!"

"You went to the Donwitty's?" I hissed. "But... oh God, how is Stephen?"

"Oh, he had huge circles around his eyes. He's not looking too well. He's been that way since his dad was murdered."

"Mr. Donwitty was killed?" I gasped, right before it hit me; Jayden fed off him on my first night before I killed Heather.

"Yeah, he was attacked by a bear or something." She suggested. "But, since Stephen is almost eighteen and the sole beneficiary, he gets to not go to an orphanage." When she said 'orphanage', I got a terrible knot in my stomach.

"I hate to break up this little reunion," Yuki interrupted, "but I'd love it if you two discussed whatever somewhere more private."

"Sorry, Master Yuki. We'll go to my quarters." At that, I lead Sondra upstairs to that last door on the right. Michelle had a look of surprise when I came in with my sister and quickly stood up.

"Michelle, this is my little sister, Sondra. Sondra, this is Michelle; a good friend of mine." I introduced them.

"Hello, Sondra. Welcome to The Mansion." Michelle smiled.

"Hi." Sondra timidly replied.

"Come on," I ushered my sister to my bed, "have a seat; let's talk."

"Sure." She replied.

"Should I leave?" Michelle asked.

"No, please stay." I requested. "I sort of don't want you out of my sight at this point."

She snorted. "Oh, okay then. Thanks _Mom_"

We all got comfortable and sat on my bed and continued with our conversation. "By the way... how are you?" I asked Sondra.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, what's going on with you?"

"Oh, nothing really. I'm living with Gramma and Grampa since Mom, too was murdered. You know that, right?"

"Yeah, it was on the news." I didn't really lie, since it probably was on channel 4, but that is definitely _not_ where I got that information.

"Okay, well I have to live with Mom's parents, since there's nobody else, seeing as how you went missing."

I nodded. "So you're okay?"

She flashed me a million watt smile. "Couldn't be happier right now!" This statement shocked me a little. "Now I know Mom can't hurt you anymore and I don't have to take her pressure to be perfect."

"Oh," I replied, "that's good, I guess..."

"You bet it is." She laughed.

"So, do the Grandparents know where you are?"

"Actually, Stephen said he could vouch for me. Gramma thinks I'm over at his house, helping each other cope with our losses and your disappearance."

"That's so nice of him." I sighed. I knew I made at least _one_ good choice in my life, and that was picking a friend like him. "Make sure to thank him profusely."

She put her hand up to her brow to salute me. "Will do. I'll be oozing gratitude."

I laughed. "I love you."

"Love you too, Tobie." She replied, moving over to give me a big bear hug.

"Umm..." Michelle mumbled, "Jezebelle?"

"Yeah?"

She nodded her head in the direction of the door. I looked over and saw Jayden. Suddenly, the urge to kill slowly began to try to take over.

"Jezebelle." He said in a low, distinct voice.

"I know, but she's my sister. I can trust her."

"Right." He replied like he didn't believe me.

"Just go away." I demanded.

"Fine, but I need to talk to you and Michelle shortly before we all go to bed." he informed us.

"Fine." I replied as he went out of sight.

"Go to bed?" Sondra inquired. "It's 7 in the morning."

"Oh, never mind that." I replied. "Um, we kind of can't have guests over. Ever. You being here is a violation of at least four rules."

"Oh..."

"Not that I'm not happy to see you, it's just a very strict rule."

She nodded in understanding. "I get it. I need to get going anyways. I just wanted to see you and make sure you're doing alright. I... I was worried about my big sister."

I began to feel tears fill my eyes. Nobody from the real world ever said something like that to me, sans Stephen. He always worries for me. "Thank you, Sondra. You have no idea how happy that makes me feel." We then gave each other a big hug before she got out of the bed.

"Love you, Tobie." She said, walking out the door.

"You should walk her out." Michelle whispered. "You know, stray human in a vampire house... not a brilliant idea...?"

"Right." I nodded, getting up and running after her. When I caught up, she was already at the bottom of the staircase. When I stopped, she turned and looked up to me and winked, blowing me a kiss. I then returned the kiss and waved at her before she exited the door which was shut by Yuki.

"Miss Jezebelle?" He said, turning around. "Please don't make this a habit."

"Yes sir. I have no idea how she got word of this place."

"Don't worry about it." He assured me. "No bad will come of it, but we don't want to risk anything."

"Understood." I replied before returning to go to bed.

I got myself back upstairs where I saw Michelle leaving my room. "Ready?" She asked.

"To see Jayden?" I asked, and she nodded. "Yeah, let's go."

I followed her toward the staircase, but went around the right side of the guardrail and knocked on the first door. I hadn't realized or thought about it until now, but I've never been in Jayden's room. He's always coming to mine; everyone comes to my quarters. The only room I've ever seen was my own. That may- or may not- be a good thing I suppose.

Jayden finally answered his door and let us in. I looked around and noticed his room is a lot like mine, except my bed is bigger and so is my closet; mine fills up the entire wall while his is about half that. Plus, his room is more narrow. But there was still a subtle difference; his collection of asian paraphernalia. Above his large dresser was a painting hung on the wall of a Japanese geisha. Sitting atop the dresser sat a beautiful antique Samurai sword. There were also some Japanese-looking statues, some carved from jade. Looking at the rest of the room, I noticed that his wallpaper had a sort of asian-like pattern. I couldn't describe _how_ it looked asian; perhaps I was just in that mindset.

"Jezebelle?" Jayden interrupted my train of thought.

"Yes?" I quickly snapped my attention to him.

"You can have a seat." He pointed to the bed where Michelle was already sitting cross-legged. I noticed his bed had white satin pillows and a black satin blanket.

"Right..." I replied, moving over and sitting by Michelle.

"Where do we start?" Jayden asked, crossing his arms and leaning on the bedpost.

"The beginning sounds good." Michelle replied sarcastically.

"Well, what do we need to talk about?" I interjected.

"We need to discuss the problems we've been having with the attacks on our family." He replied. Jayden then turned to Michelle, "I'm sure Jezebelle has told you about the hypothesis she has."

Michelle nodded. "Yeah. And I agree with it. I mean it would make sense those two would behind the murders of their partners; they wanted each other from the beginning."

"But, if that's the case, why would they kill Alexander?" I interjected.

"I... haven't quite figured that part out yet." Jayden replied, ashamed.

"Also," Michelle continued, "why were Yuki's visions so blurry?"

"Kryptonite?" I suggested. They both looked at me like I was a total moron, but I stood firm behind my statement. "_His_ kryptonite. Perhaps if there is a sort of... _element_ that prevents him from having clear visions."

"But... this never happened before." Michelle pointed out.

"Maybe he's getting old?" I suggested.

"No." Jayden shot me down. "With age, a vampire gets stronger. Age would definitely _not_ be a factor to explain this weakness."

Suddenly, we were startled by a loud thud that shook the entire mansion slightly.

"What was _that_?" I asked, shaken.

"I don't know." Jayden replied. "But it came from upstairs."

I got up from the bed and quickly scurried to the door, but before I could open it, Jayden stopped me. "Where are you going?" He demanded.

"I'm going to go find out what that was." I replied.

"Not alone, you're not." Jayden said.

"Fine, come with then." I retorted, exiting the room, closely followed by the two. We silently bolted to the foot of the staircase that led up to the third floor. From there, we snuck inconspicuously up the stairs, and as we did this, we heard an argument get increasingly loud, however the voices were muffled and we heard no distinct words. We finally made our way to the source of the noise and found ourselves standing in front of a door that was twice as big as the others in the house, and had intricate wooden carvings. The door had shiny gold knobs and matching gold lacing around the carvings.

"Yuura, brother, You know I love you, but a line must be drawn." Yuki said, voice shaky from fear. "My moral center won't allow you to go on like this."

"Yuki, you are so naive." Yuura spoke down to his twin. "What makes yo think _you_ can stop me?"

"My conscience." Yuki replied. "At least _I_ have one."

There was a loud smacking sound, followed by another but less intense thud. Yuura had hit Yuki, who fell to the ground, assumingly.

"A conscience is for the weak, you know that, brother."

"No, that's not a weakness; it's a strength." Yuki replied, receiving another hit in the face.

"I never would've thought you a masochist, Yuki," Yuura said, "seeing as how you love being hurt."

I looked back at Jayden and he looked worried as I'm sure I did, too. But, I looked for Michelle, but she wasn't there. I looked back at my partner with an inquisitive look and he pointed inside the room.

"What?" I mouthed.

"Let's go." He replied, wordlessly, sneaking off, so I followed. When we got back to his room, Michelle was sitting on his bed again.

"It's bad." Michelle informed us. "Yuki and Yuura never argue like this."

"I know." Jayden replied.

"Wait wait wait. Michelle, what happened to you?" I asked, referring to her little disappearance when we were eavesdropping.

Michelle sighed. "I never told you about my power, did I?" I shook my head. "Well... I can manipulate shadows."

"Shadows?"

"Well, really, it's the darkness, but I just consider it the shadows." She corrected. "You see, I can trap people if they touch a shadow, or severely mess with someone at night. That, and I can kind of 'teleport' from one shadow to another unseen, but only if I want to."

"That's so cool." I replied. "So... you 'teleported' to a shadow in their room?"

"Yup. And Yuki doesn't look good. By the time tomorrow evening rolls around, nobody will notice his wounds. But I never thought Yuura would do something so gruesome."

"What did he do?" Jayden asked.

"He..." she shuddered from her own thought, "Yuki is covered in open wounds and nasty bruises. Yuura just went to town on his body with knives and other weapons."

"That's horrible!" I replied. "Why would he do such a thing?"

"Didn't you hear what they were arguing about?" Jayden asked.

"Uh... kind of. Something about Yuki disagreeing strongly about something bad that Yuura is doing,"

"Yes." Jayden replied. "I think Yuki knows who's doing the killing."

"He does?" I asked.

"Yes. And I think I do, too."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

I woke up a little early this evening. I couldn't sleep too well what with all the thoughts staying active in my mind. I remember staying awake, staring at the canopy of my four poster bed and wondering why Yuura would be doing such a horrible thing to his own brother or his followers. But where did Jasper and Genevieve fit into that? Are all three in some sort of sub-group of our little family?

I looked to my right and saw the sleeping Michelle, gently breathing; yet again, she was too afraid to sleep alone in her own room. I wondered what it would be like to sleep peacefully like that, since I clearly can't do that today. Then, I looked to my left at the sleeping Jayden who insisted on staying with us, just incase we were attacked. He was sleeping on his stomach, left arm over my chest. I was afraid of getting up for fear of waking him.

Then, I heard a faint patter on my window; it began to rain. I couldn't remember the last time it rained. Usually in this part of the US, it rains quite a bit in the summer, but this is the third time this year and summer is almost over. August just began, I _should_ be going back to school in a month, but I'm pretty sure I'm not returning. Yeah, I was looking forward to finally taking Earth and Space Science and having Mrs. Young's English classes, but I suppose being immortal and not having to deal with stupid high school girl drama anymore kind of pays off. Besides, I can learn all I want at any pace, now that I have, literally, all the time in the world to do it.

_All the time in the world, huh?_ I thought to myself. _Must be nice._ Then, I had a pretty shitty realization: it's only all the time in the world so long as Yuura doesn't kill me first for not having an extraordinary power.

With that, I began shivering. I though it was from the disturbing thought, but I realized Jayden got really _really_ cold. His hand balled into a tight fist and his breathing became labored. I sat up and began nudging him.

"Jayden?" I whispered. "Jayden, wake up." I shook him a little bit more, and his head suddenly turned to face me. He had an extremely angered expression, but is softened when he saw me. "Are you okay?"

He turned over and sat up, rubbing his forehead with his hand. "I'm fine."

"You sure?" I asked, putting my hand on his cold shoulder.

"Yeah. It was just a bad dream." He assured me.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked.

"No." He shook his head. "There are some things that shouldn't ever be repeated." I nodded in understanding, not wanting to pry. "What time is it?"

I looked over Michelle's undisturbed sleeping body and looked at my new alarm clock which read 8:15 in blue numbers. "We still have forty five minutes." I said, feeling my body want to cry, realizing just how much time I didn't have to try to catch some Z's.

"Hm. I'm going to go take a shower." He said, getting up. "Try not to peak in on me again."

I felt my face get warm. "Shut up!" I hissed, not wanting to wake Michelle. "that was your fault."

"Say what you want, peeping tomboy; I know your true intentions." He teased, shutting the door behind him.

"You two have too much energy this early in the evening." Michelle grumbled, still not moving.

"Oh, sorry; I didn't mean to wake you." I apologized.

"It's fine, just don't do it again." She demanded.

"Yessum." I agreed, laying back down. The second my head hit the pillow, I was out.

---

"I'm so glad the masters are going along with this." Michelle gushed as the three of us left to go out. That's right; the _three_ of us. We asked Yuki and Yuura if we could switch up the groups a little and have Michelle and Hansyn with us again, but Hansyn didn't want to be with us. He wanted to stay with Genevieve and Jasper and watch the mansion, and Michelle didn't want to be cooped up at the house. So, we worked it out where Hansyn stayed and Michelle went with us. Best. Night. Ever.

Now, the reason we wanted this was so we had a safe place to discuss how we were going to handle the situation. None of us wanted to run the risk of having anyone else killed- namely me, since I fit the profile of all the other victims.

"Can you sense anyone nearby?" Jayden asked Michelle.

"Nope. Just a bunch of animals and a couple humans." She replied. I think it's so cool how she can sense anything in any shadow within fifty miles of her and in detail, no less. Everyone was right; she does have the greatest power here.

"Okay, so if Yuki was getting beaten by his brother, I think we can come to the conclusion that Yuura is the murderer and Yuki knows." I began.

"Yes, but how do we know he knows?" Jayden pointed out. "The visions aren't clear and he never saw the attacker."

"But what other reason would Yuura have to lash out on his brother like that?" Michelle interjected. "Those two are closer than anything and would face the devil for one another."

"But, remember what Yuki said," I pointed out, "he said that he loves his brother, but he had to draw the line and that his morality wouldn't allow this to go on. Maybe he came to the same conclusion we did."

"I suppose." Jayden agreed.

We sat in silence for a moment, wondering where to continue. We have already basically gone over everything, but how to handle this is still beyond us. The twin masters are too strong for any one of us to even try to have a chance.

"Someone's coming." Michelle whispered, eyes closed and focused.

"Who?" I asked.

"He's coming straight for us..." she tilted her head to the side, "...but I don't think we're in danger."

"But who is it?" I repeated.

She opened one eye and looked at me with a mildly confused look. "It's Wallace."

"Wallace?" I breathed. "Does he ever leave the mansion?"

"Apparently, he does." Michelle replied.

Suddenly, we heard footsteps get closer as the thin branches snapped and the leaves ruffled. Shortly thereafter, Wallace showed up into our clearing. "There you are, young masters." He said, seemingly happy. "I looked everywhere for you."

"Did we forget something?" I inquired, still confused about his presence.

"No, no you didn't." He assured us. "I just needed to talk to you three."

"What about?" I asked, certain I was in trouble.

"I wanted to speak to you all about my concerns about the recent attacks."

"Perfect!" Michelle replied. "We were just talking about that."

"Shh..." Jayden quieted her, afraid of giving away too much information to someone we're not sure is or is not an ally in the matter.

"Good, I'm glad you're concerned." Wallace replied.

"Of course we're concerned." I pointed out. "We're sure I might be next on the hit list."

"And what makes you think that, Madame?" he asked.

"Because the victims had no extraordinary powers, and neither do I." I said quietly, the gravity of the truth finally hitting me.

"Actually, that is inaccurate." Wallace pointed out. "You do have a power."

"I do?" I looked at him as he nodded. "How would you know?"

"I've been here long enough to know things before anyone else."

"Are you psychic, too?" Michelle inquired.

"No." Wallace replied. "Just old." Michelle and I laughed, but Jayden kept his serious demeanor.

"What... _is_ your power?" Jayden asked Wallace.

"What do you mean, Master Jayden?" He asked, more serious now.

"You've lasted this long at the mansion and you haven't been targeted yet. So, what power do you have? I mean, you know all ours, so it's only fair."

"I understand where you're coming from young Master, but I can't tell you."

"Then leave us." Jayden demanded. "If you're keeping that from us, who knows what other information you're withholding."

I looked from Jayden to Wallace and was worried someone might get killed. Was this how they were killed? Is Wallace actually the perpetrator? I shook those thoughts from my head and watched cautiously as Wallace began.

"I can tell you three are very close. And I can also tell you're on the same page as I am as far as figuring out this mystery. You all suspect Master Yuura, don't you?" I was taken back by his accuracy, and I felt myself break out in a cold sweat. "Well, I _know_ he's the one responsible. Also, I know I can trust you three because, out of anyone else in the household, you three are the most down to earth and most respectful. It is truly an honor to be the butler to vampires such as yourselves."

We sat in silence, taking in the complement. "Wallace," I began, "please, tell us everything you can."

He looked at me and nodded. "Yes, Madame. I was sent by Master Yuki to tell you that Master Yuura is, in fact, the mastermind behind the whole operation." We all nodded as he continued. "He also wanted me to tell you how he knows this. As you know, Masters Yuki and Yuura are twins and were born Vampires. I was the butler for their parents and their parents before them. I saw those two grow up and grow stronger. But there was one thing I always knew, but they had no idea that I knew, and that is both of their weaknesses. There is only one thing that will not be affected by their powers, and that is each other."

I looked over at Jayden and he and I shared a mildly confused look.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Michelle asked.

"That means, Madame Michelle, that Master Yuki is unable to have a vision when his brother is involved. Likewise, Master Yuura's power doesn't work on his twin."

"What is Yuura's power?" I asked the question that I was sure was on all our minds.

"Master Yuura has the power of manipulation."

"But I thought Genevieve had that power." I said, looking at Jayden who had told me that.

"Actually, their powers are similar." Wallace pointed out. "Madame Genevieve has the power to make anyone who knows her name to either fall madly in love with her, or will do anything for her. This basically makes everyone worship her."

"But, I don't feel that all the time." Michelle pointed out. "I felt that every once in a while, but..."

"Yes, she'll only do that when she wants something, or just to mess with someone."

"What about Yuura?" Jayden asked, getting us back on topic.

"Master Yuura manipulates people's emotions in a way. He can turn the best of friends into bitter enemies. He can also make lovers forget each other, and he can make the sweetest of saints into a cold blooded killer. I've sort of code-named him the Puppet Master."

"Puppet Master?" I repeated. "That makes sense."

"Yes. Anyways, Master Yuki's visions of the attacks were blurry because Master Yuura was in it. And, from what I can tell, Masters Genevieve and Jasper are in on it. I believe that those three are plotting to take over the strongest head vampire family and ultimately, the entire vampire community."

"Oh my god." Michelle gasped. "So, were they killing those without powers to make a stronger army?"

"Yes," Wallace replied, "he is doing that, then when our house was strong enough, he would probably convince you to stand behind him when the time came to fight the head family."

"Who is the head family?" i asked.

"The Kamidaichi; Masters Yuki and Yuura's birth family." Wallace replied.

"Why would they want to kill their own family?" I asked, but felt like a hypocrite after I had said that.

"Actually, it's just Master Yuura who wants to do that." Wallace corrected. "The twins were exiled from the family, but Master Yuki was never informed. Master Yuura just told him that they were to start a new branch of the family here. Master Yuki bought it, but he's become a little skeptical lately. I left the family as well, just to keep an eye on them."

"And what if it all gets out of hand?" I asked. "No offense but, as you said before, you're... old."

Wallace sighed as he continued. "Master Jayden, you asked me before what my powers were. Well, I suppose I have to tell you."

"Please do." Jayden replied.

"You've all heard of Dracula from movies and books, right?" We all nodded and my stomach did a backflip; I knew where this was going. "That book was based of fact. However, the time frame was off. I am 'Dracula', but I was born centuries before the book had suggested. I was one of the very first vampires in recorded history, but the first to have an extraordinary power. I am an illusionist. I can take someone in a prison cell and make them think they were on the Hawaiian Islands."

"Wow..." I heard Michelle sigh.

"Also," Wallace continued, quieter, "I don't really look like this. Here, I'll show you." Suddenly, there was a slight wind that blew and I watched Wallace go from a wrinkly elderly man with grey hair to a very young, attractive man with jet black hair and perfect chiseled build. I couldn't believe my eyes at the transformation; I'm positive I'll never look at him the same ever again.

"Holy shit." Michelle gasped. "You're hot."

"Oh, it's been so long since I heard someone say something like that, Madame Michelle." He said, voice sounding much more youthful.

"But why do yo do that?" I asked, wondering why he'd go through all that trouble.

"That, however, I cannot tell you." He informed us. "It is a job I was sent to do by Masters Yuura and Yuki's family and I am not to tell anybody. Trust me on this, though: none of you are in immediate danger from it."

We all nodded accepting this. "Do we need to do anything?" I asked.

"Actually, there is one task that needs to be done by you three." He said. "You three are the ones with the most notorious powers we've heard of, and I need you to get as far away from here as possible."

"Excuse me?" Michelle grumbled. "Notorious?"

"Perhaps I didn't word that correctly. Your powers are necessary to Master Yuura's plan, and I cannot risk him getting to any of you."

"So, should we abandon this establishment and go to another state?" Jayden asked.

"Oh, heavens no." Wallace laughed. "You need to escape to another _country_. I cannot run the risk of Master Yuura ever finding you."

"So we get to travel?" Michelle asked, hope filling her voice.

"Michelle, this isn't something to be too happy about." Jayden said.

I turned to Wallace. "But it we're so strong, why shouldn't we stay and fight?"

"Because," Wallace began, "Your powers are great, but you're not physically strong enough to use them to their full extent. Madame Jezebelle, you haven't even figured yours out yet. So right now, none of you have a promising chance."

"Oh..." I sighed, feeling useless.

"But," Wallace piped up, "when you all get to your new home, you are to use that time to train and get stronger. And, if we need you, you will be summoned."

"How will you get to us?" I asked.

"The Kamidaichi is a very large family, and we have plenty of allies. No matter where you choose, we'll have a correspondent." He pointed out.

"Where should we go, and how will we get there?" I asked.

"You can go anywhere of your choosing, excluding the Americas. And as far as transport, I can give you the funds for a plane if need be."

"That won't be necessary." Jayden declined. "I have a lot of money stored in a bank from long ago, so I'm sure I have it covered."

Wallace sighed. "If you insist. But if you need anything, let me know. I must be going now. The Masters will be wondering where I went by now." He said, turning himself back to the elderly gentleman he was before.

"Wait." I stood up. "What about everyone else in the house that isn't bad?"

Wallace smiled. "Masters Gwendolyn and Kenneth are with me. Master Yuki needs to stay, and Masters Yuura, Genevieve, and Jasper are the culprits. Madams Tegan and Jasmine are leaving tomorrow night par my orders, just like you are at some point."

"But, what about Hansyn?" Michelle asked, worried for her partner.

Wallace sighed and had a somber expression. "I regret to inform you, my dear, but Master Hansyn is being manipulated by Masters Genevieve and Yuura. He's on their side and they won't let him go." I looked to Michelle and she had her hand over her mouth is shock and trying to hold back tears.

"I want you all to have everything all planned out and reported to me by Tuesday evening; that gives you all of tomorrow and Monday." Wallace said before walking off into the woods towards the mansion.

I looked at Michelle who began to tremble. I got up and sat next to her, wrapping my arm around her. "It may be too late, but maybe there is a way we can at least save his life."

She shook her head. "No, you have no idea how happy I am that I'm no longer bound to him."

I was taken back by this. "I don't understand..."

She took a deep breath and sat up, then sighed. "It doesn't even matter. Let's just get the hell out of here."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"They've left us!" Yuki said, eyes full of tears which, only few of us knew, were fake. "Why did my babies leave me?"

"Perhaps they felt it necessary to go on on their own." Yuura offered to his twin.

"But I gave them everything!" He said between well acted sobs. Maybe the tears were real, but everything else is being staged. Not sure just yet. "Do they hate me? Was I a bad father?"

"No, you were terrific." Yuura insisted. "They're just growing up, and by the looks of it, too fast." You know, for a bad man, he sure is good to his brother... for the most part. "Would you all please just give us a little privacy?" He turned to us all and asked.

We all nodded and dispersed to our respective quarters, except Jayden and Michelle. They came with me to my room... as usual...

"Nobody saw that coming." Michelle said sarcastically after the door was shut.

"Right?" I laughed.

"Will you two shut up?" Jayden asked, ever so politely. "Others can still hear you."

"Ooh, sorry. My B." Michelle replied. "Anyway, so... what now?"

"I say, bedtime." I suggested. "I know there is a lot to do and a lot of planning that needs to be done, but it'll be a lot easier if we caught some shut-eye."

"Good idea." Michelle said. "And I think I'll sleep in my own room tonight."

"Thank God." I replied. "Not that you're not a joy to have in bed with me... I mean not that I don't mind you sleeping with me..." I gave up and sighed as the other two held back laughter. "You get my point. Sleep well."

"Yeah, you too." Michelle said, walking out laughing to herself.

"You want me near by?" Jayden offered.

"Well, your room is just over there." I pointed out.

"I know, but I'm still a little uneasy about what's going on."

"You know, if Yuura wants to keep a low profile on being a suspect, he wouldn't kill us at home." I noted.

"I know, but-"

"No, it's okay. Just go to bed; I'll be fine." I assured him.

He sighed, still unsure. "Fine. Good night."

"Night." I replied, walking him to the door.

I noticed my doorknob was fixed as I put my hand on it when I got ready to shut the door, but before I could, Jayden turned around and kissed me. He held me close to his body and drew me in. When we finished, I saw stars. Still holding me, he put his for head to mine and spoke softly. "I'm the one who loves you. No matter wrong or right. and every day I hold you, I hold you with my inner child." I could've melted in his arms, right there when he quoted my favorite song by Godsmack.

"Jayden..." I whispered.

"Sleep well." He whispered. He then gave me a quick kiss on the forehead, leaving me by the door with wobbly knees.

Maybe tonight is a good night to get myself ready all over again.

---

"... but the money you saved could be used for other things. Why spend money on things that are already covered by a third party, huh?" I heard Michelle speaking with Jayden as i came back into consciousness.

"I still don't trust him entirely." Jayden replied.

"Oh, please." Michelle hissed. "Money is money; even if they are bad, their money is real, we'll get to our destination, and if need be, fight them off or go into hiding around that area. Bottom line: we'll save money."

"She's right." I mumbled, rolling over. "No sense in spending what need not be spent."

"Thank you, Jezebelle." Michelle said, thanking me for the backup. "Oh, and now that you're awake, listen up. Jayden and I came up with a brilliant idea."

"Actually, it was my idea; you just agreed to it." Jayden corrected.

"Whatever. Anyways, the plan is; we pack up right now, call a taxi, get us to the Northern Kentucky/Greater Cincinnati airport, get on a plane, and go."

"Ooh, such intricate detail." I replied, sarcastically.

"Oh, but I left out the best part." Michelle continued. "Before all that, we inform Wallace and he gives us the money."

"But how will we explain the luggage when we're trying to get it out the house?" I pointed out.

"I thought you'd never ask." Michelle went on. "We all go out tonight and get our fill as quick as we can. While we're doing that, Wallace will come up and sneak our shit out to the curb. He'll use his mad illusionist skillz so nobody would notice. Then, at 2 AM, we meet the taxi man and catch our 4 AM flight."

I shook my head at the missing detail. "4 AM flight to... where?"

She opened her mouth to say something, but stopped. "We... haven't agreed on a location just yet."

"And we're to do all this tonight?" I raised an eyebrow.

"I think we can come up with a destination; it's only 8."

I looked at the clock and realized she was right. By now, everyone is still asleep, but only for another hour. So, we need to pack in about... half an hour ago. But, I've packed in a bigger pinch, so I'm not worried about myself. My partners however...

"Let's go get our stuff together." Jayden suggested, getting up.

"Good call." Michelle agreed. "I'll go find Wallace and take care of that part. I only have a few items I need to get; I did most of my packing yesterday before bed.

"Sounds good. Jezebelle, get up. Pack your stuff." Jayden nudged me with his hand, causing me to grumble.

"I'm up, I'm up." I said, sitting up just as Michelle shut the door behind her. I arched my back and popped my vertebra. Suddenly, I felt a draft on my chest... I squeaked as I quickly covered my bare chest. I had forgotten I fell asleep naked.

"Half an hour, okay?" Jayden asked, leaving me to myself and ignoring my little episode. Or, so I had hoped. "Heh... I guess we're even now, huh?"

"Oh shut up and get out." I hissed.

"I'm going, I'm going." He assured me, exiting my room.

"Good." I said to myself, getting out of bed and dashing for the closet, picking up my pile of dirty clothes that sat next to the bed. I quickly folded those up and shoved them in the bottom of my duffel bag. All my other clothes followed suit, except not shoved in there, since I didn't want any wrinkles in my wardrobe. This task only took about five or seven minutes, but I still needed my bathroom stuff, so I tossed on black tights, Black high heeled shoes, and a purple tank. In my duffel bag, I put my Metallica tee and a pair of jeans on top and a pair of tennis shoes in an easy-access spot so I could change in the taxi. I know how those airport security guys are with people who dress as scantily as I have been lately.

When I was clothed and my side bangs were tied to the side with a clip on black rose, I snuck downstairs to the facilities. Luckily, nobody was around, so i bolted in and gathered my crap. However, when I left the restroom, there was somebody coming downstairs, so I quickly hid around the corner. When that person, who turned out to be Genevieve, came around, my heart began racing and I became a little nervous, but she didn't notice me. She was sort of wobbly when she walked; I guess she's not a morning person.

I sighed a sigh of relief when the bathroom door shut, then bolted around the corner and almost screamed when I ran into a second person, had he not covered my mouth. Lucky for me, it was just Jayden.

"You scare easy, you know that?" He asked, whispering. My mouth was still covered my his hand, so I just nodded. "Are you almost finished?"

I nodded again, but he let me go finally. "I just had to get stuff from the bathroom."

"Okay. Get upstairs. Wallace knows what's going on, and he gave us cash. A taxi has been summoned and they'll be here at two."

I nodded again and turned to leave but Jayden kept hold of me. "What?"

"Nothing." He replied, kissing the top of my head. "Get moving." He ordered, finally letting me go.

I did as I was told and shoved the remaining luggage into the duffel. I did one last sweep of my room for anything I may have forgotten, but nothing was lying around, so I put my bag on top of the dresser. Since I got done so quickly, I decided to waste the last forty five minutes or so just lounging in bed.

I remembered that we needed to come up with a final verdict on where we were to go, so I mulled over the options in my mind. I kind of wanted to go to France and see the Eiffel Tower and try their food, but that whole disease thing and the language barrier would've been an issue. I don't know any French, nor do I care to. germany would be cool, too, what with all the low drinking age, awesome food and legalized gay marriage, but again: I don't speak the language.

But then, something came to me. Japan. Why don't we go to Japan? I mean, I speak it almost fluently and I studied the culture intently; that and I remembered how Jayden collects Japanese things, maybe he'd be cool with it. But what about Michelle? Well, she did say she'd be up for pretty much anything as long as it wasn't the Middle East where women are inferior and everyone smells like ass, as she so puts it. That was it; my mind was set and I'll be damned if anyone is going to disagree with me.

---

8:50 PM. It is only ten minutes until everyone is to leave. So far, in our plan to escape, everything is going swimmingly; that is everything except agreeing on where to go, and guess whose fault that is? Well, it's really Jayden's, but he's making it seem like its my fault, which is a load of crock.

"I told you, Jayden," I growled, "I'm not changing my mind on going to Japan. Problem is you're too hard-headed and bent on going to England. So, don't look at me like it's my fault."

"I'm saying it would be much easier to go to England because we already know the language." He replied for, like, the fifth time, still as calm as ever.

"But I'm fluent in Japanese. I told you this."

"But what about me or Michelle?" He insisted as I crossed my arms and sighed. "What? Am I wrong?" he asked, sighing at my child-like reactions. "Okay, how about this: we could eventually go to Japan, but keep England as our home base?"

I was about to tell him I always wanted to go to Japan since I was little, but was interrupted by a knock at the door. I granted whoever it was entrance and they let themselves in. I looked in the doorway and saw that it was Michelle.

"Hey guys." She replied, bringing in her last bag of three. "Have we come up with a new country yet?"

"Yes." Jayden replied while I said no. We looked at each other and I heard Michelle sigh out of frustration.

"You two are freaking ridiculous." She growled. "What are the two options?"

"There is only one option," Jayden replied before I could say anything, "and that is England."

"Bullshit." I replied. "I want to go to Japan. I speak the language, know all about theit culture, and Jayden has a collection of Japanese stuff, so I _thought_ he's be cool with it. But he doesn't want to and it's frustrating."

"How about this," Michelle suggested, "how about we move to England and visit Japan a couple times."

I quickly turned to Jayden and shot him a pissed look, angry that Michelle and Jayden thought the same damn thing. I felt out-numbered. So, I growled and gave a big sigh of defeat. "_Fine._ We'll move to freakin' England. But we _have_ to go to Japan at some point."

"Sounds like a plan, so can we go now?" She said, relieved.

"Alright, let's go get our fill." Jayden agreed.

"Wait." I interrupted.

"What now?" Michelle rolled her eyes.

"What's going on with you and Hansyn?"

"Oh, we're leaving the mansion together, but once we're out of the property line, he's catching up with Gwendolyn and Jasper and I'll meet up with you guys at the McDonalds parking lot."

"Oh, ok." I nodded, following my people out the room and down the stairs. Genevieve and Jasper had already left, and Hansyn and Michelle left once we got tho the door, but Jayden and I stalled for a bit. Jayden had to 'tie his shoe' and I needed to do a 'last minute check on my make-up'. When we were done, we went out the doors, but Yuki stopped me and gave me a big hug. "I'm so proud of what you've become my dear." he gushed.

"Um, thank you?" I replied, confused.

"Oh, no need to thank me. What kind of father would I be if I didn't show my affections to my children.

I was still a little confused and worried for his sanity, but I replied, "Not a very good I'm guessing?"

"Right." He nodded. "Now, have fun, kids." He waved us off as we left. Once the door was closed behind us, I pulled the envelope out from in my arm that Yuki has slipped me and put it in my pocket, since scribbled on the envelope was DO NOT READ UNTIL YOU BOARD THE PLANE.

"That Yuki is a sneaky little devil, isn't he?" Jayden asked.

"He sure is." I replied just as we stepped off the property and I saw Michelle run up to us.

"Let's go eat." Michelle gave a very good suggestion, so we walked off into town.

---

"You kids running away from home?" The Taxi driver asked through a big cigar in his mouth as we piled into the van. He had pale white skin, grey hair under his golf hat, and spoke with a gruff voice- probably from smoking all those cigars.

"In a way." I replied. "Except, we're not leaving home; we're going home."

He nodded, and I saw his eyes wander downward before turning around. "So, your friend told me to take you to the Kentucky airport. Is that accurate?"

"Yes sir." Michelle piped. "We have a 4:00 flight to catch, so the sooner, the better."

"Yes ma'am." He tipped his cap and took off right as Jayden closed the sliding door.

As soon as we were in motion, I reached to the back and grabbed my bag and began to change. "Necessary?" Jayden asked.

"Absolutely." I replied.

"But you look better in this." Jayden pointed out.

"Actually," Michelle interrupted, "She's not changing clothes; she's getting naked for me, right Jezebelle?"

"Right." I replied, jokingly.

"Shut up, Michelle."

"You know," the driver spoke up, "I have a strict 'no shirt, no shoes, no service' policy."

"Sorry," I apologized, "but I spilled something nasty on this earlier and I _need_ to change."

"How bad is it?" He asked.

"Let's just say that if I leave it on, you'll never get the smell out of your taxi for a week."

I saw him furrow his brow as I told him this, but he nodded. "Okay, just hurry up, okay?"

"Yes sir." I nodded. "Thank you so much."

"No, thank _you_ for respecting the sanctity of this vehicle." He replied.

"No problem."

---

"Three tickets to London, England, please." Jayden said to the lady at the ticket desk.

The lady had her brown hair tied back in a long ponytail and had no-rimmed glasses. She eyeballed the three of us and raised an eyebrow. "Do you have your passports?" Jayden went into his inside jacket pocked and produced the documents and gave them to her. "London you said?"

"Yes ma'am." Jayden nodded.

"Uh huh." She nodded. "Now, please put all the bags you're going to check onto this scale, one at a time. You are limited to one carry on bag."

We all nodded and bean checking our baggage. By the time we were finished, Michelle and I had our own carry-ons and Jayden did not. Mine had my iPod, my Nintendo DS, four games, my Game boy advance incase my DS died, a billion batteries, and my cell phone loaded with music. Yup, I'm just your average girl... not.

We finished up with receiving our tickets and left to get to our gate and I heard the attendant lady whisper to her coworkers about us, referring to us as 'plural wives'. I wanted to turn around and punch her in the face, but I didn't want to deal with security right now.

We got through customs just fine but had to ride a billion shuttles just to get to our area. When we got off our last shuttle, we had to go down a few corridors, walk down, like, seven moving sidewalks and go up two escalators. Leave it to Kentucky to have the world's most confusing airport. I was glad I had people with me, because if I was alone, I would've gotten lost at least nine times. We _finally_ made it to our gate at 3:50 AM; ten minutes until take-off, and people were already boarding. We stood in line behind some others and in front of others that were pushing the time limit, just like us. All while we were standing in line, I could see out of my peripheral vision that Jayden kept staring at me.

"…yes?" I asked.

"I'm just so happy to be doing this with you." He gave me a hug and kissed my forehead.

"Mommy, they're kissing…" A little boy behind us pointed out.

Now, usually when that happens, the mother would tell the child 'Yea, they are, but mind your own business, okay dear?'

But, _oh no_, not _this _mother.

"Will you two mind not doing that in public? It's disgusting. I swear, if those two join the 'mile high club'…" She trailed off. I just shrugged it off, but Michelle had other plans.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize they were upsetting you. You should have told them that you don't get romance from anyone, making you a bitter bitch. Please forgive them for their ignorance."

I elbowed her in the side in disapproval. "Michelle, that was rude." I whispered, laughing quietly.

"Well, so was she." She defended.

I turned to the woman who was turning a lovely shade of purple and was about to apologize, but she finally found the words to say. "I never, in my entire life, have ever seen or heard such ignorance from anybody in my entire life! You three will burn in hell!"

Jayden and I looked at each other and couldn't help anticipate Michelle's next move.

"Well," Michelle continued, "if hell is any scarier than your face, I'm sure we'll be fine." We all turned around, handed the attendant our tickets and boarded the plane. When we were out of sight of the woman, we burst out laughing. But, by 'we' I mean me and Michelle. Perhaps Jayden forgot to pack his sense of humor.

"Oh, come on Jayden, lighten up." Michelle said, stifling her laughter.

"You do realize that Karma is going to come back, bite you in the ass and have that woman sit next to you, right?"

"Oh, shush." Michelle replied. "We're just having fun. besides, I got a sneak peek at her ticket; she's in a whole different section."

"That's not-"

"Hello." I greeted the flight attendant with a smile.

"Hello, thank you for flying Delta. Your section is in the back." She replied with a friendly smile.

"Thanks." I replied, looking at my seat number, then up at the cabin area. There were only a few people flying tonight. There was a very large man in the back in a bright orange hawaiian shirt, and old lady one section over and up four rows, and a group of ten people all cluttered together in the middle column up front.

I felt Jayden gently nudge me in the back, urging me to go forward. I walked all the way down the aisle and past a doorway, into the first class section, so I figured I went too far. However, Jayden smiled at me and nodded his head forward.

"Jayden," I said to him, getting his attention, "this is first class."

He nodded, smiling. "I know."

"I think we went too far."

He shook his head and led me to our seats. I stood in shock as he tried to get my attention. I saw where he was pointing; he gave me the window seat.

"Jayden-"

"No complaints. You get window seat." He interrupted, nudging me over.

"But, I have this thing with flying-"

"Then I'll take it, thank you." Michelle interrupted, pushing herself between us and stealing my seat. I shrugged it off and sat down, fastened the belt, and turned to him.

"Jayden, how did you afford this? Coach would have been fine so we could have more money-"

"Be quiet." He interrupted, putting his index finger to my lips. "We didn't spend any money on this flight, remember? Besides, even if we did, we'd have plenty left over to last an eternity."

I gave him a puzzled look as he laid his head back and shut his eyes. He obviously wanted to rest, but I wasn't finished.

"Jayden, how much money do you have?"

He opened one eye, and then shut it again. "Let's just say there are about… seven digits."

My jaw hit the floor. "S-seven digits?! You mean, over a million American dollars?"

"Ssh! don't be so loud. And yes, seven digits." He leaned down back onto the seat, still facing me. "I'm guessing you want to know where it came from."

I nodded. "Please don't tell me you robbed a bank."

He laughed. "Well, I did way back when I was a fledgeling, but that was only one time and I never did it again. Besides, with what I got, I deposited it into a bank and only deposited over the years. Interest built up the, viola, a billion dollars."

I sat there absorbing the information. "You thief." I growled.

"What?" He laughed, "Don't judge me. Besides, need I remind you what we do with the wallets of our meals?"

I looked at him, and then frowned. "I... well I... oh, never mind." I replied, lacking a complete thought in my head.

Out if the corner of my eye, I saw him bring himself closer to me. I looked at him and was surprised by a kiss. It was a deep, passionate kiss, and I wanted to rip the clothes right from his body, but remembered the circumstances not allowing me to do that. We were suddenly interrupted by an eerily familiar voice.

"Mommy, they're doing it again."

He and I looked over and saw that the woman from before, and her child, was sitting in the seats on the other side of the isle next to us. Jayden and I both sighed in unison. The entire flight… next to these two… _I'm going to shoot myself with a silver bullet_. I thought to myself.

I leaned forward and hit Michelle in the arm. "I thought you said we were in a different part of the plane." I hissed.

"Hey, I assumed we were going to be in coach, so sorry 'bout it."

"You two better not do anything to corrupt my child you sex-fiends!" The woman spat at us, sitting down. She was going to have her son sit in the seat furthest from us, but he insisted on taking the isle seat. Since she seems to be one of those bitches who spoil their kids rotten, she gave in, but kept her eyes on us.

"Welcome to Cross-Atlantic Air, England bound flight 4133." The attendant began speaking over the intercom. "We thank you for your patronage but regret to inform you that this flight will be delayed. Since you are already in the cabin, we ask that you please stay seated. We will be taking off in twenty minutes, and we apologize for any inconvenience."

"Son of a bi-"

"Michelle," I interrupted, "don't swear; there's a little kid…" reminding her of the boy next to us.

"Fine." She replied.

"I'll be right back," Jayden said, unbuckling himself, "I really need to use the bathroom."

I stayed seated and saw someone enter the cabin. It was a generally good-looking man wearing an ACU. The tag on his left side said U.S. ARMY and his name tag read MAYES and his rank indicated he was a Private First Class. He looked up and saw me and smiled as he passed, taking the seat directly behind Michelle.

I felt him getting situated back there when he suddenly kicked the back of my seat. He popped his head over my seat and apologized. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to kick you." I nodded and forgave him, insisting that it was no big deal.

"I'm Cole, Cole Mayes. It's a pleasure to meet you." He said, offering his hand.

I took it and smiled. "I'm Jezebelle. It's a pleasure to meet you, too."

I let go of his hand and sat back in my seat. "So, why are you going to England?" He asked, trying to make conversation.

I turned to him. "Me, my best friend and boyfriend are moving there."

I saw his face turn the slightest bit pale. "Boyfriend?" He asked, looking me up and down. "He's one lucky guy.

"Why yes; yes I am." I heard Jayden's voice. Cole looked behind him and saw my partner. "So lucky, in fact," Jayden continued, "that I'm sure anybody else's luck will be bad if they even try with her." He took his seat, buckled in, and smiled at me.

At that, Cole slunk back in his seat in utter defeat. I looked at Jayden and laughed silently to myself and he just stared at me.

"Jezebelle?" He asked.

"Yes?"

He took a deep breath and sighed. "Never mind."

"Okay...?" I replied.

"Hey, Jezebelle." Michelle said, getting my attention.

"What?"

"I love you." She said in a cute voice.

"Love you too, dear." I replied, sarcastically.

"And thanks for the window seat."

"Any time." I winked at her, giving her a double thumbs up.

"Are you two ready for this?" Jayden asked, sincerely.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Michelle replied while I just nodded.

"New city- new country even." I pointed out. "New life too, I suppose."

"Again?" Michelle sighed. "The last time I got one of those, I turned into a freak and and got separated from everyone who gave a damn about me."

"But. we're right here with you." I replied.

I saw her eyes soften and begin to develop tears. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right." She nodded.

I leaned over to her and gave her our last hug on American soil. "We'll always be there for you." I assured her. "Silver bullets couldn't take me away from you." I felt her crying become increasingly labored.

"Thank you." I heard her muffled thanks between sobs. I guess making dramatic transitions are hard on her. Note to self: learn more about Michelle's past so this doesn't happen again.

"May I have your attention please?" The flight attendant interrupted. "It is now 4:15 and we are now preparing for take-off." The stewardess began her usual safety precautions bit and Michelle and I looked at each other.

I held my hand out and she put hers in mine as the plane began its lengthy trek to the take off section. I gave her a reassuring smile and she returned me one. "Let's start over on a safer note, okay Michelle?"

"Absolutely." She replied. "And please, call me Shelly."


End file.
